Emerald Rising: Book Two
by TheInkredibleKaptainKaiju
Summary: Much like Gemkind itself, Emerald cannot be kept down for long. The green Gem returns from the brink of madness to fight against Homeworld's enemies once more. This time, she'll have to face a threat much closer to home as she encounters both friends and enemies, both old and new.
1. Rebirth

The Elsewhere Saga: Emerald Rising

Book Two: Vengeance

Chapter One: Rebirth

* * *

_Homeworld, Cancer Sector, Science District. Era 2, Year 5,744._

A flash of light illuminated the sky.

"Vibro-coils in place." A familiar voice sounded through the darkness. "All systems are in the green. She should be conscious by now."

The light impacted with the ground, sending a devastating shockwave across the land, destroying every Gem in its path.

"Almost ready. Peridot, are resonance drivers fully charged?" said the voice.

"Indeed, My Heliodor," said another Gem. "Ready to activate on your mark."

The light finally reached her. Her body burned, her heart was filled with fear. Her mind spilled empty, filled with only mindless savagery. Spines erupted from her back. Dozens of eyes sprouted from her head. Her mouth widened into a gaping, tooth-filled maw.

"Activating exo-shell in three...two...one…"

And just like that, Emerald's nightmare ended. She was thrust back into the waking world, opening her eyes with a jolt. For just a moment, the room around her seemed to flicker, like a viewscreen with bad reception, before becoming clearer. As the static parted, she was given a better look at her surroundings: a laboratory of some sort, with all manner of machinery that she had never seen before. Instead, she was focused on the three Gems that stood before her.

The frontmost Gem was a Heliodor, a medium-sized yellow Gem, with a pentagonal gemstone on her chest. Her short yellow hair covered one of her eyes. Next to her stood a truly massive Gem: grey skin, black suit, and long white hair. An Onyx. On Heliodor's other side was a nervous looking Pearl, pink in color, wearing a short skirt and slippers, with her hair in a bob. Her gemstone was on her belly.

"P-Pearl?" Emerald said weakly. She tried to walk forwards, but stumbled down due to her not being used to this new body.

The Onyx hurried forward to help her up. "Easy there, Mera," she said. "I know you're eager to get up and go, but you only just got back to us!"

"I thought I told you," Emerald said, half in irritation, half in amusement, "not to call me 'Mera.'"

Onyx chucked. "Heh, good to have you back, My Emerald."

The Pearl, who had been timidly standing back this whole time, took a few steps towards the green Gem. "My Emerald, is that really you?"

"Pearl…" Emerald stepped forwards, reaching out to place a comforting hand on her Pearl's cheek. "Of course it's me."

However, Emerald gasped in surprise once her hand came into view, for it was not her hand at all. Rather, five green rods, hovering just above her arm. Making matters worse, Emerald noticed that her arm was not her arm either, but rather a metal imitation.

Close to panicking, Emerald examined the rest of her body. Her entire frame seemed to have been replaced with green metal. Even more worrisome, her gem, normally located on her right forearm, was nowhere in sight.

"Emerald, Emerald, calm down, everything's alright!" Heliodor assured her.

"Alright?" said Emerald. "What happened to me? Where's my gem!?"

"Don't worry, everything's okay," said Heliodor. "Here, let me show you the schematics. That should put you at ease, yes?" The Beryl then walked over to a computer, pressing a few buttons on the keyboard. The monitors showed several images of Emerald's current appearance, including blueprints for individual pieces and a full-body diagram. Going by the pictures, Emerald learned that her face was now displayed on a screen, and a piece of green metal or plastic imitated her hair.

"So...you built a whole new body for me?" Emerald said as she scanned the schematics. "How did you manage this? I thought I was...corrupted."

"That was the issue," Heliodor said. After you succumbed to your corruption, I worked tirelessly to find a way to cure you. Unfortunately, even after centuries of research, I just couldn't find a way. That's when I came up with the next best thing. I call it the exo-shell. It allows a Gem to interact with the outside world while still being inside of their gemstone. The best part is, because it reads your internal code rather than generating an entirely new form, you won't revert to your corrupted state." She pressed another button, showing that Emerald's gemstone was connected to several wires within the exo-shell's chest cavity. "Your gem is located here. It's inside the shell, so there's no risk of it being accidentally cracked. Pretty neat, yes?"

Emerald examined her new body once more. "It...it's unlike anything I've ever seen," she said. "How long has it been since I was corrupted?"

The three other Gems glanced at each other. "Emerald, I won't lie to you," said Heliodor. "It's been five millenia, going on six."

Understandably, Emerald was taken aback by this news. "Six...thousand?" She looked as if she was about to pass out, but she quickly regained her composure. "Would you care to fill me in on what happened in that time?"

"Of course," said Heliodor. "Follow me, if you would." The others did so, tailing her as she exited the lab and walked through the larger facility. Emerald gazed at the sheer scale of Homeworld's industrial revolution. Not just the facility, but the cityscape outside the window, were all filled with technological marvels the likes of which Emerald could only have imagined before.

She felt-or rather, her mechanical fingers detected, it was hard for her to explain-Pearl's hand brush up against hers. She looked down to meet the smaller Gem's gaze. "My Emerald, I-I'm glad to see you," she said quietly.

"I am, too," Emerald said warmly, taking Pearl's hand in her own. "Tell me, how were the years I missed?"

"Okay," said Pearl. "Morganite took care of me while you were gone. Goshenite, too."

"Goshenite?" said Emerald, remembering the name of her old rival.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either," said Onyx. "She sorta mellowed out after you disappeared. Guess someone took that stick out of her Gem."

"As you can see, Gemkind has made incredible progress in the fields of science and technology," Heliodor announced as though she was giving a tour. "We had to. With the Interlopers' constant attacks, we-"

"Hold on. Did you say the Interlopers?" Emerald said, releasing Pearl's hand to rush up to Heliodor. "You mean that in six thousand years, they're still an issue?"

"Unfortunately," the yellow Gem said. "Here, allow me to explain…"

The tour group arrived at another laboratory, which they entered. This one was seemingly dedicated to Interlopers, as images, reports, and even samples of the grey robotic menaces filled the room.

"Your killing of the Interloper Generals did wonders on crippling their offensive efforts," Heliodor said, walking past a Scavenger unit on a table. "Though, 'killing' an Interloper is a bit of a misnomer."

"How so?" asked Emerald.

"Well, you see, in my research, I've found that simply destroying an Interloper's body isn't enough to kill it. They're less robots, and more artificial intelligences. All Interlopers, from Scavenger to General, are simply bundles of coding stored at their home base, the Oculus. This code remotely pilots these bodies from there. Think of it like destabilizing a Gem without damaging her gemstone: she'll just reform later."

Emerald studied a diagram of a Carnivore-type Interloper. "If that's the case, why has destroying the Generals affected their strategy? Shouldn't they have just been rebuilt?"

"Unfortunately, I don't rightly know," said Heliodor. "My best guess would be that by being defeated, they were subsequently demoted and reduced to mass-produced bodies."

"The question is, demoted by whom?" Emerald wondered aloud. "Aside from the Generals, do we have any more intel on their leadership?"

"Not yet," said Heliodor. "Whoever's in charge must operate from the Oculus. Speaking of-"

"And the Oculus, where is it now?" asked Emerald?

"Oh, right." Heliodor displayed a map of several of the galaxies surrounding Homeworld's. "The Oculus is located right here, only one galaxy away from this one." The screen zoomed in for a close-up of the planet-sized object. As it's name suggested, it resembled a massive, red eyeball. "Homeworld forces have it locked down for now. We can't scratch it, even with our improved tech, but we have enough firepower to keep it in place for now."

"Hopefully it stays that way," said the green Beryl.

"Indeed," Heliodor said. "Anyway, speaking of Interloper leadership, I'm sorry to report that Pythoriax is still alive." Heliodor pressed another button, showing an image of an Interloper on the screen. This one was a bit taller and skinnier than the standard troops, and had its hands clasped behind its back.

"Pythoriax?" said Emerald. "Isn't he the one we accidentally bisected over at research station Locus?"

"The same," said Heliodor. "Interlopers are pretty difficult to take down, so he must have survived the ordeal."

"Apparently," said Emerald. "So he's the one leading the charge now?"

"Yup," said Onyx, previously occupied with some Interloper reports. "If we wanna take down the Interlopers, again, we gotta take him out. Again."

"Then there's no time to waste," Emerald said. "We'll go right to Yellow Diamond, and request a strike against him. Let's move."

Emerald made to exit the building, but was stopped by Heliodor. "Yeah, today might not be the best time for that," said the latter. "What with the trial, and all."

"Trial?" Emerald asked. "And who's trial would that be?"

"Oh, right, I forgot to mention," Heliodor continued. "So...turns out Rose Quartz survived. They captured her on Earth."

Emerald was silent for several seconds.

"Whuh?"


	2. Home Sweet Homeworld

Chapter Two: Home Sweet Homeworld

* * *

Emerald tromped down the hallway, her companions and Heliodor following close behind. The yellow Gem tried her best to slow her down.

"Emerald, hold on!" she said. "Where are you going?"

"Why didn't you tell me right away that they captured Rose Quartz?" said Emerald, still walking. "If She's standing trial soon, then we have to be there!"

Heliodor raced in front of Emerald, who finally stopped moving. "That's _why_ I didn't tell you," she said, winded. "Blue Diamond specifically requested that nobody aside from her and Yellow be present for the trial. She didn't want any biased opinions. Her words, not mine."

"So what is the rest of the Council doing?"

Heliodor was quiet for a moment, averting her eyes. "Oh, yeah, that's another thing I forgot to mention." She wrung her hands awkwardly. "You see, you were out of commission for a few thousand years, and the Interlopers didn't exactly give up during that time. We had little choice but to find a replacement Supreme Admiral."

Emerald nodded. "I see. Very well, then."

"So, you're not upset?" Heliodor asked.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure how I feel," Emerald admitted. "There's so much to take in. Rose Quartz is alive, the Interlopers are still active, I'm not on the Council of Beryls anymore...it's all a lot to take in."

"My Emerald?" Pearl approached her Emerald's side. "Forgive me for intruding on your personal business, but seeing as you are no longer Supreme Admiral, do you think we will have some time to catch up? So much has happened since I last saw you."

Emerald smiled, placing her hand on the smaller Gem's shoulder. "Soon, Pearl. I may not be the Supreme Admiral anymore, but that doesn't mean I have no more duties. The Interlopers are still a threat to Homeworld, and it's my job as an Emerald to destroy our enemies."

"I understand, my Emerald," said Pearl. She retreated a bit, looking disappointed.

"In the meantime, I'll need a new assignment," said Emerald, resuming her walk. "I'll head to the Capital District so I can receive orders from Yellow Diamond as soon as the trial is over. Come along, Onyx, Pearl."

Both Gems in question followed Emerald as she made her way out of Heliodor's compound towards the nearest transport. The Beryl herself hurried after them. "Emerald, wait!" she shouted. "I still need to show you all the exo-shell's features!"

"They can wait until I return," said Emerald, boarding the monorail. "I don't expect to run into any combat until I go offworld."

* * *

_Homeworld, Capital District._

The monorail smoothly sailed through the cityscape. The three Gems were seated next to one another on a near-empty car.

"Are you alright over there, Onyx?" asked Emerald. "You haven't said anything the whole ride."

"What? Well, neither have you or Pearl," the Quartz replied.

"I know, it's just that you're usually much more talkative, especially on rides like this," said Emerald. "Is there something on your mind?"

"Yeah," Onyx said quietly. "Yeah, there is. See, it's been pretty tough the last few centuries. Not only have the Interlopers been causing trouble, as usual, but it's been harder and harder to find viable planets to colonize. Inhabited planets seem to be a real rarity these days. It's like we're running out of 'em. We've had to search further and further out into the universe just to find any. It's gotten to the point where being off-color is the norm for Era-2."

Emerald nodded solemnly. "Have we...invaded any civilized world yet?"

"Not yet," said Onyx. "Our resources are stretched thin enough as is. Word is it is on the table, though."

"You know what I just realized?" said Emerald. "Where is Tanzanite? I haven't seen her since I regenerated."

"Oh, she's around," Onyx said. "She keeps to herself these days. Flies out for a few missions here and there. Goshenite doesn't really need her, since she stays on-world most of the time."

"So, she's been under Goshenite too," said Emerald. "And I assume you have as well?"

"Yup," Onyx confirmed. "It hasn't been all bad, though. Like I said, she doesn't have a stick up her Gem no more."

Soon enough, the monorail arrived at the station. The trio departed, walking past a Red Lace Agate and her Rubies. Emerald lead the way towards her destination: the Capital Spire. Among the various spires on Homeworld, the Capital Spire was far and away the most luxurious, reserved only for the elite and their guests.

As she made her way towards the Spire, Emerald examined the cityscape. "Everything looks so different," she said. "I can't believe Homeworld's changed so much in only six thousand years."

"A lot can happen when you're at war," Onyx said.

Upon entering the Spire, Emerald made her way to the top floor, where she and her sisters-in-arms were wont to spend their free time in the old days, before the War for Earth. As she was unfamiliar with much of the newer technologies present, Onyx and Pearl had to help her out. For most Beryls, this would be a grave insult, but to Emerald, it was only a minor embarrassment.

The elevator soon deposited them at the penthouse. Numerous Jades and Sapphires murmured excitedly as Agates and Topazes hurried around the room, apparently decorating. Banners of blue, yellow and white lined the room, as well as dozens of sculptures.

"It's so pretty in here," said Pearl. "It looks like they're preparing for a party."

"I'll say," Emerald replied. "I haven't seen this place look this lavish since...well, ever, actually."

"Be careful with those streamers, you brutes! You'll tear them!" a harsh voice shouted from above them. "Oh, just look at this shameful display! I told you, the pattern goes yellow, blue, white, yellow, blue white! Am I to assume you're too idiotic to memorize a simple pattern!?"

Emerald looked up to a balcony to see a pinkish-red Gem dressed in a lavish ballgown, barking orders at the Gems beneath her. She wore her pale hair in three buns, one atop the other, as well as wearing an almost comical pout.

"I'd recognize that voice anywhere!" Emerald shouted to this Gem, who looked in her direction.

"Oh-Emerald!" the pink Gem squealed. In an instant, a pair of wings made of red and pink energy manifested from her back. They resembled those of a swallowtail butterfly, and were covered in exquisite diamond patterns. Using these wings, the Gem flew down to the floor to entrap Emerald in a tight embrace, almost lifting her up off the ground. "You're back! Oh, dahling, I can't _tell_ you how good it is to see you again!"

"It's good to see you too, Morganite," said Emerald, patting her on the back. "So, what's the occasion?"

Morganite set Emerald down. A smooth, heart-shaped gemstone was located on the back of her right hand. "What, this? Why, it's because of Rose Quartz, of course! Didn't you hear? They finally caught her!"

"I did hear," Emerald replied. "Heliodor told me everything."

"Of course," Morganite continued. "Speaking of, she really did a spectacular job on her little project, didn't she? Just look at you! We all though the exo-shell was a lost cause-no offense-but we've never been so glad to be wrong! So...if I may ask, what was it like? Becoming that monster, I mean?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, I can't really remember," Emerald admitted. "It's all such a blur. I remember being really angry at Melvirius, but it's a bit jumbled from there."

"So, being destabilized wasn't an issue? The last few millenia-just like that?"

Emerald shook her head. "No different than usual. Just like taking a nap." She snapped her fingers to illustrate, though it took a few tries with her new fingers.

"I see. Nevertheless, it certainly is good to have you back," Morganite said. She walked over to Pearl, her feet clacking against the hard floor. "We've been getting by just fine in the meantime, right?"

Pearl nodded, smiling. "Yup! Morganite taught me how to use the gun that you gave me!"

Morganite giggled. "Oh, yes, I forgot about that! Little Pearl here's getting to be a natural marksGem. I'd watch your back if I were you," she said teasingly.

"So, am I correct in hearing that Emerald herself has made a triumphant return?"

Everyone turned towards this voice. Goshenite, identifiable by her tall, thin form and pure white color. On her lower back was a white gemstone shaped like a four-pointed compass rose.

"You are," said Emerald, neither pleasantly nor harshly. "In the flesh...well, you know what I mean."

The pure white Gem scanned Emerald's new form. "I see you're a robonoid now."

"Goshenite, please!" said Morganite. "This is a time to celebrate! Homeworld's greatest enemy is standing trial as we speak! Can we please put the hostility on hold?"

"Relax, it was a compliment," said Goshenite. "It looks good. That suit was Heliodor's passion project, and it shows."

"Well...thank you," Emerald said. "I hear you've been taking care of my troops while I was indisposed?"

"That I have," Goshenite said. "It was the least I could do."

"Pearl, as well?"

Goshenite nodded. "Me and Morganite had what you could describe as 'joint custody.' She's a bit...needy, but she really isn't so bad once you get used to her."

"Well, thank you for that, as well," said Emerald.

"Oh, that reminds me!" said Morganite. "Onyx, would you be a dear and go fetch Maxixe for us? She's down by the courtroom, looking over some of Rose's files. The trial should be wrapping up soon, and I don't want her to miss the party!"

"No, no, I'll go get her," said Emerald. "I wanted to see more of Homeworld, anyway. Besides, I'm sure she'll be happy to see me."

"Of course. Although, do try not to get lost," Morganite said. "Homeworld has changed quite a bit since you've returned."

"I noticed," Emerald said, walking towards the elevator. "You two stay here, I'll be back in a moment."

After Emerald had departed back to the ground floor, Goshenite turned to notice Pearl staring out the window. "What, do you miss her already?" she said.

"Sort of," said Pearl. "She only just got back, and it seems like she's more concerned with the Interlopers than her friends."

"That's Emerald for you, always putting work before pleasure," Goshenite said, patting the Pearl on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure she still loves you."

"I'm sure as well," Pearl said. "It's whether or not she loves herself I'm worried about."


	3. Beyond the Trial

Chapter Three: Beyond the Trial

* * *

As she walked down the streets of the Capital District, Emerald took in the sights around her. While just as colorful as it had been during Era-1, the surrounding cityscape was much more...the only way Emerald could describe it was 'mechanical.' Gemkind had highly advanced technology before, but her surroundings now were near-unrecognizable. From ships to machines to the Gems themselves, it seemed like everything had become more mechanized.

On her way, Emerald passed by a group of Peridots. Her eyes were immediately drawn to their limbs, which were mechanical in and of themselves. Emerald assumed this to be a result of their ongoing research crisis: Onyx had said that colonizable planets were becoming rarer and rarer, after all. It would only make sense that what little resources they did find would have to be stretched. _I suppose I'm not one to talk_, Emerald thought to herself. _It's more than my arms and legs that are augmented_.

The Peridots became quieter as Emerald passed, clearly talking amongst themselves. She could not hear their hushed voices, but it was clear from their gestures and tone that they were whispering about her. Rather than engage, Emerald felt it best to move on. Despite the nature of this new Homeworld, she felt rather out of place. An Era-1 Gem with a body worthy of Era-2.

Much to the admiral's relief, she soon arrived at the courtroom. The imposing black building was designed to resemble a geode, one of the deadliest weapons in Homeworld's arsenal, and for good reason-oftentimes, the fear of facing trial was enough to convince the Gem in question to confess to her crimes.

Rather than go directly into this building, Emerald descended a staircase to enter a smaller room beneath the immediately-visible streets. If her centuries of being on the Council of Beryls had taught her anything, Maxixe would be here.

Oddly, the evidence room was unguarded. Usually, a pair of Topazes, or at least Quartzes, would have been placed at the entrance. Rather than enter, Emerald instead lightly rapped on the door. "Maxixe? Are you in here?"

With a hiss, the door slid open, revealing a slightly-larger-than-usual Aquamarine, dressed in a white and sky-blue kimono, her gemstone placed on her forehead. "Emerald," Maxixe said quietly. She examined the green Gem's new form. "I see Heliodor's little passion project was a success."

"It certainly was," said Emerald. "Though, we have yet to see if it can measure up to my old body. Anyway, may I come in?"

Maxixe looked up as though shaken from a trance. "Hmm? Oh, yes, of course. Please, make yourself comfortable."

Emerald walked slowly into the room. Like most rooms on Homeworld, especially nowadays, it was filled with Gems looking at monitors bearing all manner of data and readings. Specifically, these Gems were Aquamarines.

"I apologize if I don't seem glad to see you," Maxixe said. "Don't get me wrong, I am, it's just that after all these years...it's quite surreal. We all knew you hadn't been shattered, but we had all come to terms with your 'death.'"

"That's alright, it's surreal to be back, too," admitted Emerald. "Everything's so different. If I could, I'd spend some time with my old friends and get used to new Homeworld. Unfortunately, that isn't my decision to make."

"How so?" asked Maxixe. "Yellow Diamond hasn't given you any new assignments. Why can't you take it easy until she does?"

"The Interlopers," Emerald said gravely. Slowly, she turned to face her old comrade. "The entire reason I allowed myself to succumb to the corruption was because I knew that when I did, it would allow me to kill Melvirius. But knowing now that they're still out there, plotting-it means I failed. I have to make this right."

Maxixe placed her hand on Emerald's shoulder, having to sprout her dragonfly-like wings to do so. "Emerald, I of all Gems know what it's like to get absorbed in your duties. But this isn't your fight. It's all of ours."

Emerald sighed. "I know. But it feels like this is all my fault somehow."

"Fault?" said Maxixe, almost laughing. "Emerald, it's because of you that the Interlopers haven't wiped us all out by now. Sure, you didn't destroy them entirely, but you struck a gigantic blow against them, that allowed us to fight back enough to repel them. If anything, you're a hero. You should hear what some of the other Gems say about you!"

"About...me?"

"Sure! What with you single-handedly taking on the Interloper generals and all. You're right up there with Jasper and Star Ruby as legendary Homeworld figures!"

"I...I wouldn't go _that_ far," said Emerald bashfully. "I suppose I may have played a big part, but I'm no Jasper. Besides, I couldn't have gotten nearly as far as I did without my team."

"That's what I've told you: you don't have to do this alone!" Maxixe said. "If we are going to take on the Interlopers, we'll need everyone to work together."

Emerald looked up, reinvigorated by Maxixe's words. "You're right," she said. "Okay Maxixe, it'll be a team effort."

"That's what I like to hear!" said the blue Gem.

"So, where do we start?" asked Emerald.

Maxixe shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I've been too busy with the trial."

"Right, the trial," Emerald sighed. "How has it been going so far?"

"We have no way of knowing, as the Diamonds aren't letting anyone in," said Maxixe. "Not even the Council."

"Hmm. Do you think She'll be shattered?" Emerald asked.

"Well, it is Rose Quartz," said Maxixe.

"I meant, do you think she'll be found guilty?"

"Again, _it's Rose Quartz_. Everyone practically already knows she did it. There were so many witnesses, and the Gem herself admitted to doing it. At this point, the trial's pretty much only for show."

"And _what_ a show it is!" said a nearby Aquamarine. Her teardrop-shaped gemstone was located below her left eye. "Of course, who's really surprised that _I'm_ the star?"

"Ah, yes, the star of the show," said Maxixe. "Emerald, this is Aquamarine Facet 8Q8 Cut TR17, one of my finest scouts. My Diamond sent her to Earth herself, and she's the one who captured Rose Quartz. As you might have guessed, she's a bit of a celebrity right now."

"As I should be," the Aquamarine said. "The best part is, it wasn't even the purpose of the mission! I guess it just goes to show how overqualified I am!"

"What were you doing on Earth anyway?" asked Emerald. "Was it something about the Cluster?"

"Hardly," said Aquamarine. "That geo-weapon's way behind schedule. I was sent to retrieve more specimens more My Diamond's human zoo."

"The Zoo?" said Emerald. "I would have thought My Diamond would have decommissioned decades ago."

"It wasn't for lack of trying," Maxixe said. "Here, you'll want to see this." The blue Gem went over to an empty terminal. "About four or five years ago, we began sending Red Eyes to check up on the Cluster. All of them went dark. It wasn't until we sent in actual Gems that we found out why."

An image appeared onscreen of a small organic, one that Emerald recognized as a human. It bore an emblem of a star on its chest, and was surrounded by three Gems: a Pearl wielding a spear, an off-colored Amethyst, and an unidentified fusion.

"So, some of the Crystal Gems managed to survive the Diamonds' attack," Emerald said. "Do we know how?"

"Not for the other three," Maxixe said, but we do know how Rose herself survived. Tell me, does that human in the center look familiar to you?"

"Of course not," Emerald said. "I can barely tell organics of _different_ species apart, let alone pick one out of billions of the same species."

"Well, I can assure you this specimen is unique," Maxixe said. "Those three Gems seem very protective of it, don't they? There's a good reason for that…"

Maxixe changed the image to one of the same human, but this time, it was lifting its shirt to reveal a gemstone on its stomach. A very familiar, pink, five-faceted gemstone.

"Stars," said Emerald, aghast.

"Stars indeed," Maxixe said. "We don't know the full story yet, but it's apparent that Rose Quartz somehow managed to implant herself into an organic host, controlling it like a parasite."

"Sweet Diamonds," Emerald said. "The lengths some Gems will go…"

"Well, after this, there's no doubt in my mind they'll find her guilty," Maxixe said. "After all, it's only-"

Whatever it 'only' was was not heard, as Maxixe was interrupted by a sudden crash from outside. The three-plus Gems rushed to the window to get a better look at the source of this noise, and were greeted by a sight none of them expected: Blue Diamond's palanquin had burst through the top of the courtroom.

"What the shard?" said Maxixe. Emerald had already rushed outside to get a better look.

It was apparent, as the three had guessed, the palanquin did not contain Blue Diamond herself. Rather, it had been hijacked by Rose Quartz.

Maxixe and her Aquamarines quickly ran out of the building to join Emerald. "What the void is going on out here!?" she shouted.

"Nothing good," Emerald replied. Seeing the palanquin descend into the lower levels of Homeworld's crust, the green Gem let her impulses guide her, and ran after the vehicle. Yellow Diamond had sliced a hole in the side of the courtroom and was shouting something after Rose, but Emerald was too focused on the descending fugitive to hear her. She leapt off the ledge, grabbing a hold of the wall beside her as she jumped from ledge to ledge into the depths.

"Emerald! Emerald, wait!" cried Maxixe. But she was already too long gone.

"Well? What now?" Aquamarine TR17 asked. "Should we send someone after her?"

"Are you insane? Nobody's going down there!" another Aquamarine answered. "That's where the off-colors live! Nobody's mad enough to tangle with those freaks!"

Maxixe looked down into the black depths. Even if Emerald was able to find Rose Quartz, she would still have off-colors, proto-Gems, and shattering robonoids to deal with. And that was assuming one of those three didn't get to Rose first, making her spontaneous act of heroism moot. "I suppose this means the party's cancelled…"


	4. Beneath the Surface

Chapter Four: Beneath the Surface

* * *

As is to be expected from a utilitarian race such as the Gems, their cities are always expanding and being renovated to better suit the needs of their current era. This has the consequence of almost no Gem living on the planet's surface in the same way we know it.

The structural situation of Homeworld is arranged as follows: the cities themselves are level based, with the lower-class living closer to the ground, and the upper-crust living higher up. Below the surface is a nest of abandoned kindergartens spanning the entire planet, which is patrolled by shattering robonoids designed to hunt down any renegade Gems using these tunnels to hide.

Despite the danger, many Gems were hidden down here, mostly off-colors and other such ne'er-do-wells. Further down still, into what was once Homeworld's mantle, there resided a veritable wilderness containing entire ecosystems of proto-Gems: rock-based creatures who were thought to be the precursors of Gem evolution. Between these, off-colors, and the robonoids, no sane Gem ever ventured into these depths. None except Emerald herself, apparently.

As Emerald slid down to the planet's surface, her first instinct was to summon her blade, in case she ran into any threats. She instinctively thrust her right arm to the side-to which nothing happened. She stared down at the lack of a gem on her arm. "Urgh, stupid suit," she grumbled. She continued on through the rocky landscape in spite of her lack of defenses.

It wasn't long before she found the wreck of Blue Diamond's palanquin. She made to investigate, only to duck back behind a stalagmite at the arrival of several shattering robonoids. Despite her high status, even as a regular Emerald, their beams weren't exactly picky about what they shot.

_Great, more security, just what we needed_, Emerald thought. _I'll have to find another way around._ Which is what she did.

Avoiding the Robonoids' searchlights, Emerald tried to work her way to the palanquin. _If anything, at least this new body is quieter_, she mused. Luckily for her, the robonoids were more occupied with searching the palanquin itself rather than around it.

Once she got close enough, she noticed not one, but two sets of footprints leading away from the transport. Giving little thought to this factoid, as all that mattered was that one of them belonged to Rose Quartz, Emerald followed them. They lead to a large rock that had been smashed apart by a shattering robonoid's beam.

_Hmm. Why didn't I just look signs of a struggle first?_ Emerald walked over to the rock, only to discover that both sets of footprints had disappeared.

"Huh?" Emerald looked around. There was no trace of Rose Quartz anywhere: no sign of where she had gone, and no shards, so her being shattered was out. _Where the void-?_

Emerald's thoughts were interrupted as she noticed a beam of orange light shining on her. _Oh, Crack._ She slowly turned around to the unpleasant sight of a shattering robonoid targeted directly on her gemstone.

"Uh…" She slowly lifted her arms into the air. "Deactivation code: Emerald Facet 9PX3 Cut B64?"

The robonoid was not having it, as it charged up to fire a beam at the hapless Beryl. Emerald dove to the side, the laser further smashing the rock into tiny pieces. She ran for it, not caring how many more robonoids she alerted in the process. In her hurry to escape, she stumbled down another pit, beginning to think that diving down the pit without a plan in mind was not the best idea.

Upon reaching the bottom, Emerald took a moment to get her bearings. Wherever she had landed, it seemed a whole lot more open than the previous area. She stood up, brushed the dust off her and walked out to investigate her surroundings.

She still seemed to be in some sort of cave, but the ceiling was high enough that it almost seemed like she was outside. Unlike higher up, there were no exit holes on the walls, leading Emerald to believe she was underneath the planet's crust.

The green Gem sighed, sitting down on one of several nearby rocks. "Nothing's ever easy for me, is it?" she muttered. She looked towards the roof, trying to ponder a way out of this predicament, when the rock beneath her began to shake. Startled, she leapt to her feet.

The rock, and the ones near it, broke out of the ground. They all rose higher up to reveal that they were all part of a larger creature. This beast, made entirely of stone, was nearly the size of a bus. The visible rocks were spines on its back. Upon breaking loose of the ground, it took on a hunched posture and stared at Emerald with its eyeless head.

Taken aback by the Limestone's size, Emerald backed away slightly. Unaccustomed to this new body, and without any of her usual weapons, Emerald was unprepared to fight it.

Rather than attack, however, the large proto-Gem backed away. It lowered its head to the ground, taking on a defensive stance. Almost as if it was afraid of Emerald. While all proto-Gems had reasons to be afraid or Gems, they were largely unaware of this fact, so seeing a creature this size cower in fear was certainly odd.

A low, chattering growl from behind Emerald informed the Gem that it was not her the Limestone was afraid of. She turned around to discover yet another creature behind her. This one was roughly her size, and humanoid in shape, though it was quite lanky, and walked on all-fours like the Limestone. This was a Basalt, a vicious pack predator.

Emerald clenched her touch-stumps into fists, rationalizing that fighting a being of this size would be easier. Fighting multiple of them would not be, however, which she realized after six or so more of them crawled out from their hiding places. Saliva of molten rock dripped from their ravenous alpha's maw. Reluctantly, Emerald decided the only rational decision was to run.

The pack leader let out a vicious screech, signifying for its fellows to give chase. All of the Basalts sprinted after the fleeing Gem, rapidly catching up to her. Emerald quietly cursed herself for not learning her new body's functions as she was beset by the creatures.

Claws and teeth tore into the metal, not doing much damage on their own, but overwhelming the Gem with their sheer magnitude. Emerald tumbled to the ground under the weight of these proto-Gems, who continued trying to get to her gemstone. Proto-Gems, unlike the modern Gems they shared a planet with, were consumers. Most were content with eating inert stones, or preying on other proto-Gems, Gems who stumbled down this far were fair game for consumption.

"Get off me, your wannabe organics!" Emerald growled, futilely striking one with her arm. The Basalt responded by biting down on one of her touch-stumps. "I said...get..._off_!" In her frustration, Emerald let loose a blast of electricity from her hand, sending the Basalt in question a few feet away. The others quickly jumped away and regrouped, startled by the sudden attack. For one reason or another, they all clustered together, as though they recognized Emerald's power.

"Now, that's more like it!" Emerald said. "At least we have this." Emerald slowly worked her way backwards, keeping the Basalts at bay with sparks of electricity, which they really seemed to dislike. Eventually, once Emerald reached a nearby cave, the Basalts gave up entirely, moving on to hunt for prey elsewhere.

Emerald shook her head. "About time. Now to find a way out of...here…" Her eyes were drawn to the cave, where a faint green light seemed to emanate from. Curious, she decided to investigate.

As she went into the cave, not only did the light grow brighter, but she heard something she didn't expect to hear down here at all: voices. She couldn't make them out, but there were definitely two voices having a conversation. _Who the void would be down in a place like this?_ she thought.

Soon enough, she discovered what was creating the light. A green force field blocked her path further down the cave. She hadn't been around long to discover the finer points of Era-2, but the generator was unmistakably Gem tech.

Emerald inquisitively pressed her hand against the barrier. The energy ran up through her arm and to her Gem, resulting in her quickly withdrawing her arm. However, she instantly recognized that the energy in question was simply electricity. She fired a bolt, which easily passed through the barrier, shorting out the generator. The field disappeared, allowing Emerald to step through unhindered.

All was not meant to be, however. As she walked further into the tunnel, a step seemed to activate some sort of defense. As her foot came to rest on one spot on the ground, it suddenly lit up with a yellow circle. Glowing brighter and brighter, Emerald was savvy enough to know what was about to happen. She dove to the side as what was apparently a landmine exploded, sending dust and debris everywhere, and leaving a small crater in the ground.

All of a sudden, rapid footsteps began running in Emerald's direction. She also saw the shadow on the wall of a being headed towards her. Out of options, Emerald hid behind a nearby boulder. A primitive solution, to be sure, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

At first, Emerald didn't quite see this figure, what with her hiding and all. Judging from the footfalls, though, they weren't that big. They stopped for a moment to examine the area, before reactivating the force field. "Urgh, stupid generators," she muttered. Something was vaguely familiar to Emerald about her voice, but she couldn't tell what. As this figure, most likely a Gem, walked away, Emerald followed from the shadows. This time, she was careful to avoid the faint yellow glow of the mines.

Whoever this Gem was, Emerald hadn't seen any like her. She was yellow in color, and short and stocky in build. At one point, she turned around, making two things clear to Emerald: one, her misshapen Gemstone was on her chin. Her face resembled that of a Topaz, which was where Emerald had heard her voice. Given her side and gemstone, she was likely an off-color. Two, Rather than a diamond sigil on her uniform, she had some sort of circular red emblem on her chest, almost resembling an eye.

Before long, Emerald had followed this rogue Gem to a large room filled with several other Gems, as well as some kind of tech set-up.

"Hey, Z, we had another malfunction on generator two," the Topaz said. "Whatever it was got blown to bits, though, so you're welcome."

"Yes, thank you for your foresight, Topaz," said another voice. Emerald couldn't quite see who it had come from. This other being continued to talk with someone else, who's voice also sounded familiar. Emerald crept around to get a better look into the room.

Topaz had gone to sit down next to another Gem. "Y'know, I really hate this place," she muttered.

"Yes. You say so whenever you get the chance," the other Gem said softly. Emerald couldn't make out her figure, as she was hidden behind an amber-colored cloak. However, she seemed to be floating off of the ground. She had no feet, as her legs tapered into points beneath the cloak.

"I meant this place specifically, not all of Homeworld!" said the Topaz. "I hope Zirconium hurries it up over there. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can-Serpentine, would you keep it down over there!?"

Curious as to the meaning of this outburst, Emerald crept further along. The sight that came to her next almost made her dizzy. There was indeed a Serpentine, as the yellow Gem had said. Green scaly skin, piercing yellow eyes, slit-like nostrils, and razor-sharp teeth. Her gemstone, pointed like an arrowhead, rested at the tip of her long reptilian tail. However, it wasn't her that had unnerved Emerald, but rather what she was doing.

At first, Emerald assumed that a pile of rocks lay in front of the green Gem. However, the presence of lava within the pile seemingly disproved that. Emerald realized that this was a dead proto-Gem-and Serpentine was eating it. Magma and bits of rock dripped from her mouth, as she only scowled in Topaz's direction before going back to her meal.

Not wanting to see this any longer, Emerald continued on. By this point, the conversation was much clearer. "And you're really sure this will work?" the second Gem asked.

"Of course it will work," said the mystery voice. "It has been for several millennia now. You just help me move the product, and Homeworld is yours."

"I'm still sceptical. I don't want to risk everything on a plan like this." _This_ voice Emerald recognized immediately, as it belonged to an Onyx. She leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the three figures.

The first one was definitely an Onyx, but was unlike every Onyx Emerald had ever seen. She was just as big, and had the Quartz's trademark long white hair, but she was disproportionately skinny. Her arms, legs, and body were far too slender for her size, leading to an unnerving appearance. Her eyes lacked pupils, being completely white. She, too, bore a red eye symbol on her chest.

The second was also a symbol-bearing Gem, of quite a different variety: this one was a fusion. Her skin was pure white, aside from several red highlights at her joints. Her two gemstones, which were red as well, were placed on her shoulders. Most noticeably, however, were her four arms. She had a larger top pair, descending down to her knees, and a slightly smaller pair beneath those. Also, she lacked any sort of hair on her head, as if someone had cut it all off. She also possessed a single red eye, taking up most of her face. Emerald guessed this was Zirconium.

It was the third figure that was most worrisome. There, in the center of the room, stood Pythoriax, lone general of the Interlopers. He still retained the same build and posture, but his body seemed sleeker, most likely having been upgraded during his repairs.

"There won't _be_ any risk," said Pythoriax. "The Diamonds are still too busy trying to unleash their little monster against us, but we sent out a team to deal with that. In the meantime, we'll be free to destabilize them from within, if you'll pardon the wordplay."

Zirconium thought for a moment. "If it means getting revenge, I'll do it." She turned around to face the rest of the Gems present. "Alright, girls, pack it up! We're moving out!"

Instantly, all the rest of the Gems converged on her. The five of them, plus Pythoriax, made for the rear of the room, all of them clumping together in one spot. Moving closer, Emerald could see why: they had a warp pad. A pillar of light ascended from the pad, and when it faded, all six of them had vanished.

With them gone, Emerald ran forward. Whoever these Gems were, they were working with the Interlopers. And they had access to the warp network.


	5. The Enemy

Chapter Five: The Enemy

* * *

_Cancer Sector, Science District._

When the warp pad lit up, Heliodor first thought nothing of it. Just another Gem going about her business. However, upon seeing that it was Emerald, she quickly ran over.

Information travelled fast, especially in this age. When Emerald followed Rose Quartz into the under-levels of Homeworld, Maxixe made sure the rest of the Council knew. Heliodor, bogged down by her work, was unable to aid in any sort of search.

"You're back!" Heliodor said. "Now, would you care to tell me exactly what you were thinking when-"

"No time," Emerald said. "The Interlopers are here. I need you to show me those features you told me about."

"Uh...T-The Interlopers?"

"I'll explain everything in a moment," Emerald said. "For now, do you have access to a database of rogue Gems?"

* * *

"Yeah, I'm with Heliodor on this one," Onyx said from the sidelines. "What _were_ you thinking?"

"That's the problem: I wasn't," Emerald replied. "I just saw that Rose Quartz was escaping, and I followed in the only way I knew how."

Emerald had told Heliodor, and Onyx once she had arrived, everything she had seen while underground. She was especially focused on those off-colors, worried about what Gems working with the Interlopers could mean for Homeworld. Heliodor had sent away for more information on these Gems based on Emerald's descriptions, while she showed her the finer points of operating her exo-shell: in particular, the photon launcher.

"Photon launchers are now standard-issue for limb enhancers like these," Heliodor had explained. "It would have been foolish to break that trend now, especially since you can't use your weapon."

Emerald was getting used to firing the new projectiles on the firing range. By simply holding her hand in a certain way, four of her touch stumps would arrange into a pyramid shape at the end of her arm. The fifth would point outwards from the top while becoming charged with energy. From there, it was a simple matter of releasing it as a projectile.

"If you ask me, you're lucky you didn't get smashed by any of those robonoids," said Onyx.

Emerald continued firing, destroying target after holographic target. "I almost was," she said.

"That's exactly what I mean!" Onyx said. "Y'know, I know you think you have to solve all of Homeworld's problems yourself, but-"

"Maybe I _do_," Emerald retorted. Her accuracy was suffering due to her argument with Onyx; more and more targets were piling up. "Remember who it was that killed Melvirius? What about the rest of the generals? The only reason Pythoriax is still around is because _I_ failed, and the situation has only gotten worse since I was corrupted."

"But still, going down into those depths alone, knowing full well what was down there? That just seems a bit reckless to me," Heliodor added.

In her frustration, Emerald continued missing her targets, which only made her more frustrated. "And if I hadn't gone down there, we never would have discovered what the Interlopers were up to, so it's a net positive."

"Uh, you realize we still don't know their plan, right?" said Onyx. Emerald only growled in reply.

"Emerald, this doesn't seem like you," Heliodor said.

"Because it _isn't_ me!" Emerald unleashed a multitude of lighting strikes from her hands, destroying all of the targets, and shutting down the shooting range. She turned to face her friends. "I'm a lot of things right now. A monster. A machine. But what I'm not is Supreme Admiral Emerald. The same Emerald that you knew."

The room was silent. All three of them stood where they were, unable to think of what to say next. It wasn't until a familiar voice spoke that the silence was broken.

"My Heliodor, I have the files you requested."

"Tanzanite?" Emerald turned towards what sounded like the voice of her old friend. However, as the figure entered the room, it became apparent that while this was _a_ Tanzanite, it was not the one she was familiar with. She was a slightly deeper shade of blue, and her gemstone lie on her right eye rather than her hand.

"Very good, Tanzanite," Heliodor said. "Now then, let's see if these are the Gems you saw down there, Emerald."

Heliodor, Onyx, and Emerald gathered around the Tanzanite as she displayed the first of the files on a holographic screen. It displayed a diminutive Topaz, her gem resting on her chin.

"That's definitely her," Emerald said.

"An overcooked Topaz specimen," the Tanzanite announced. "Escaped from harvest after being apprehended, and fled to Homeworld's underground. Wanted for several attacks on high-ranking Gems and their property."

"Mm. Not content to leave well enough alone, is she?" said Onyx.

Tanzanite moved on to the next Gem. She still wore her cloak in the picture, obscuring her face, though it was apparent from the orangish glow that her gemstone was on her throat. "Amber," said Tanzanite. "Wanted for the theft of extremely valuable Homeworld property."

Heliodor took a closer look at the picture. "Strange," she said. "She doesn't look like any Amber I've seen, even if she is off-colored."

"How can you tell?" said Onyx.

"Because I've seen plenty of Ambers," Heliodor said. "They don't float like that, either."

"That is because she was not formed as an Amber," Tanzanite said. "She was originally a Pearl. She was given the new designation "Amber" after being experimented on during the Earth War."

"And, what did she steal?" asked Emerald.

"Herself," replied Tanzanite. "Much research was placed into her creation. The former Science Minister placed a large bounty on her gem."

"Yeah, the Heliodor before me was a real piece of work," said Heliodor. "Alright, who do we have next?"

"A Serpentine," said Tanzanite. "She was formed under optimal conditions, and was not suspected to be out of the ordinary in any way. It was not until she was deployed to a colony that she began to show troubling behavior. After spending several days on the planet, Serpentine began to display an unhealthy interest in the local organics."

"Uh oh," said Onyx. "Let me guess, she went all Rose Quartz?"

"Quite the opposite," Tanzanite said. "If you are unaware, organics to not have access to a built-in source of energy like Gems do. Instead, most of them acquire their energy by consuming other organics, by way of taking their bodies into themselves. Serpentine was fascinated by this process, and began practicing it on the locals on a regular basis."

"Seems unfair that she was labeled an off-color for that," said Emerald. "I mean, it isn't like she-"

"Began practicing this process using other Gems?" interrupted Tanzanite. "This is exactly what she did. She fell under the belief that she could assimilate a Gem's powers by consuming them in this manner. Her superiors were unable to ignore this behavior when she attempted to, erm...'acquire' a Sapphire's future sight."

The trio was silent at his information. "Why don't we move on?" suggested Heliodor.

"This is another Onyx," said Tanzanite. "She was-"

"Eugh, just look!" said Onyx. "What _happened_ to her?"

""This Onyx was a loyal soldier for many years," Tanzanite said. "She sustained many injuries to her gemstone during this time. However, due to her sheer willpower, she was able to prevent herself from shattering." Tanzanite showed an image of the Onyx's gemstone, which was mutilated beyond recognition.

"Well, she can't even be called an Onyx looking like that, it's a disgrace!" Onyx said. "She looks more like an…'Onix.'"

"How is that different?" said Heliodor.

"I'unno. Maybe it's spelled different?" said Onyx.

"Will you two please?" said Emerald. "Let's just get a look at the ringleader."

"Of course," said Tanzanite, sliding the screen to the next file. "Zirconium. Permafusion between a Spodumene and a Purpurite." Her two gems were on her shoulders, both scarlet; one was rectangular, while the other was shaped like a figure-eight. "Not long after her components refused to separate, she went on the run from the authorities, spouting anti-Diamond propaganda to anyone who was nearby. Many Gems were swayed to her side before she was finally forced underground."

"Yeesh," said Onyx. "So there's a runt, a science experiment, an organic wannabe, a mutant, and a fusion. What a bunch of freaks."

"They certainly have reason to be upset with Homeworld," said Emerald. "No wonder they allied themselves with Pythoriax."

Onyx shook her head. "There's no time to waste, then. "We've gotta figure out what they're up to, and stop 'em before they can do any more damage."

"Er, the Interlopers, or this lot?" said Heliodor.

"They're working together, aren't they?" said Onyx. "Besides, what good has ever come out of a bunch of off-colors working together? Off-colors, period?"

Emerald looked as though she was about to say something, only to shake her head. "Come on," she said instead, "let's go."

"And where are we going?" asked Onyx.

"To see Yellow Diamond," said Emerald. "It's time we got a move on. We know the Interlopers are up to something, we just don't know what. So let's go find out."

* * *

_Interloper Dreadnaught, Unknown Regions._

From the bridge of the massive battleship, Pythoriax looked outwards at the stars. "Isn't it glorious?" he asked Zirconium, who stood beside him. "I've always been fascinated by the stars. But I suppose you Gems find them more incredible than we do. You even swear by them!"

"I really don't care about any of this," said Zirconium. "The only reason I contacted you was because I thought we could help each other. I know we can help you. But can you help us?"

"Of course, of course," said Pythoriax. "We've been fighting with Homeworld for far longer than you or your cohorts have been around. I've been on the front lines since day one! All of the pieces are in place to utterly break Homeworld's spirits. And after their spirits come their bodies…"

"And you've accomplished next to nothing," said Zirconium.

"Oh, that's far from true, my dear fusion!" said the mechanical mastermind. "Do you know why this plan of mine will work? Because it _has_ been working for the past six thousand years! And with your help, we'll finally have everything we need to strike the killing blow!"

Zirconium's lone eye fixed on Pythoriax's face. "I understand why we're fighting Homeworld," she said. "But why are the Interlopers? What is it you're after? Power?"

The last remaining Interloper general laughed darkly. "Yes and no," he said. "What we really want is revenge."

"I see. So they colonized your planet?"

"In a way. And now, we want it back…"


	6. Star-Bound

Chapter Six: Star-Bound

* * *

_Capital District._

The doors to Yellow Diamond's palace burst open, as Emerald strolled into the foyer. The Diamond's Pearl, working the front desk, hardly raised an eyebrow, being far too busy with her reports.

The Beryl quickly approached the desk. "I need to speak with My Diamond immediately," she said. "It's urgent."

The Pearl didn't even bother to look up. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Well, no, but-"

"In that case, please have a seat. Her brilliance will see you as soon as she can."

"B-but it's urgent!" Emerald said. "Do you even know who I am?"

Yellow Pearl locked eyes with her. "Former Supreme Admiral Emerald, emphasis on 'former,' now reduced to a literal shell of her former self?"

"Not exactly how I would have phrased it, but yes, that's me," Emerald said. "Can I please-"

The Pearl glared at her. "Take. A. Seat."

Not wanting to argue any further, and frankly, a little intimidated by the Pearl's demeanor, Emerald sat down in one of the chairs.

* * *

After about half an hour, maybe a little less, Emerald was permitted into Yellow Diamond's inner sanctum. She heard the inside before she even walked through the double doors: dozens of Gems, mainly Garnets, Sapphires, and other Beryls, were seated or standing around several war tables discussing things such as Interloper invasions and soon-to-be colonies. 'Discussing' was a strong word-'arguing' was more apt.

Emerald strolled past the numerous tables to the very back of the room, where Yellow Diamond herself was seated, accompanied by a collection of Agates and other Emeralds. A giant, yellow holographic display of a planet hovered in front of her as a handful of Heliodors briefed her about it; Emerald didn't hear what they were saying. Upon seeing her approach, the Diamond held up her hand, silencing the procession.

"Emerald," she said, her voice firm and powerful. "It is...good to see you again." With a wave of her hand, the hologram vanished.

"Thank you, My Diamond," Emerald said, saluting. Her usual authoritative demeanor faded under the striking gaze of the golden regent. "It is good to see you again, as well."

"Isn't it always?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I don't have much time. I assume you're here for your next assignment?"

"I am, My Diamond," she said. "I'm not one to let my current, er, condition prevent me from serving the empire."

Emerald glanced around. The other Emeralds surrounding the Diamond were clearly aware of her current situation. Their expressions were filled with disdain, some with amusement, and some, worst of all, with pity.

"How convenient you would choose to come here now," Yellow Diamond said. "I have the perfect assignment for you." She waved her hand, reigniting the hologram. "As you may or may not be aware, our ongoing research crisis has only gotten worse as Era-2 has proceeded. Inhabited planets are becoming harder and harder to find. Fortunately, we recently came across a perfect candidate: this is Auragh-18, soon to become my latest colony. That is, unless the Interlopers have their way…"

Numerous tiny red ships appeared above the planet's atmosphere. Interloper battleships, Emerald was sure.

"That is where you come in," Yellow Diamond said. "Our current Supreme Admiral is currently engaged in defending our preexisting colonies from Interloper attacks, but with you no longer tied down with that position, you are free to focus on future colonies such as this." She miniaturised the hologram once more. "Understood?"

"Yes, My Diamond," Emerald said.

"Good. That will be all." Yellow Diamond went back to her briefing as Emerald made her way out. Walking through the halls, she activated her handheld communicator.

"Hmm? What's the 4-1-1, My Emerald?" said Onyx on the other end.

"Onyx, round up the troops. We're headed to the Auragh system. We'll meet at the shipyard."

"Roger that," said the Quartz. "What are you going to do?"

"If we're flying, we'll need an ensign. Tell me, where can I Tanzanite these days?"

* * *

_Sagittarius Sector, Residential District._

"So, this is the place," Emerald said to herself upon reaching the residence. It was, to put it lightly, a real dump. It was practically a shack. Aside from the dark blue color, one wouldn't know a fairly tidy Gem like a Tanzanite lived here. "Man, what's been going on in her life?"

"Hard to say, My Emerald," Pearl said, standing beside her master. "She hardly talked to any of us while you were gone. Maybe she missed you?"

"Maybe," Emerald agreed. She pushed a button beside the door, causing a gentle chime to sound out. When she received no response, she pressed it again. And again, and again, until a loud clatter was heard from inside.

"One moment, My Emerald," came Tanzanite's voice. It was definitely her, but something sounded off about her tone. The door slid open, revealing the Gem. She looked just as Emerald remembered, but her demeanor was different. For instance, her eyes: Tanzanite always had a way of looking relaxed while also having a sharp gaze, but nothing about her gaze now looked sharp. Not to mention, she looked like she was about ready to tip over. "It is quite...quite good to see you again, My Emerald. I have m-missed you."

"Um, are you okay, miss Tanzanite?" said Pearl. "You seem a bit...wobbly."

"I assure you, I am ferfectly pine," she said. "Never better…" She staggered to the side, just catching herself on the doorframe, indicating that she was certainly _not_ 'ferfectly pine.'

Emerald peered past her into her dwelling. A small decorative table and a few baubles that had been on it lay strewn across the floor, no doubt the source of the clatter heard earlier. "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked.

"Abs-absolutely," said Tanzanite. "I feel better than I've ever done did before."

"Okay, something's definitely wrong," Emerald said. She pushed her way into the house past Tanzanite, with Pearl following close behind. "Tanzanite, this isn't like you. Are you hurt? Did something happen?"

Tanzanite placed her arm around Emerald's shoulder, a very awkward gesture considering the size difference. "M'Emerald, I am _great_. Why, I have never felt better in all my y-WHA!" Tanzanite had leaned too far, and subsequently fell to the floor.

Emerald pulled her back up. "Then why are you acting so...un-Tanzanite-y?"

"My Emerald?" Pearl said from another room of the household. "What's this stuff?"

Emerald turned to her confidant. It appeared she had found some manner of metal rods in the corner of the room. A dim glow emanated from within them, indicated they had been recently used.

"Is this uranium?" Emerald said. "Tanzanite, are you irradiated right now?"

"M-maybe," Tanzanite mumbled. "Actually, it is quite likely."

Emerald shook her head. "I never thought I'd see the day. You, of all Gems? Onyx I can understand, but you?"

Tanzanite shrugged. "'S been stressful. I needed a pick-me-up."

Emerald snickered in spite of herself. "I'm sorry, it's just that I always took you for the most relaxed Gem in history."

"I-I'd rather not talk about it, My Emerald," said Tanzanite. "Shall we be going?"

"Yes, let's" Emerald said.

"Where is the shuttle? I'll fly?"

"Absolutely not, not while you're irradiated," said Emerald. "Speaking of which…"

Pearl, who had been curiously analyzing the nuclear rods, was ushered out of the house by Emerald before she could pick one up.

"I don't think so," said the Beryl. "Not until you're older."

"But...I _am_ older," said Pearl.

* * *

_Calceus Spaceport, Low Homeworld Orbit._

"Right," Emerald said as she, Pearl and Tanzanite disembarked from the shuttle. "What exactly is it that you wanted to show me?"

"It is a surprise," said Tanzanite. "I will lead the way."

Tanzanite walked down the hallways with Emerald following. Ships of all shapes and sizes docked and undocked from the many ports beside them. Many of them were much more high-tech than those of Era-1. Emerald's attention was specifically drawn to a battalion of giant Gem-shaped craft.

"Those are Valkyries," Tanzanite said, noticing Emerald's interest. "Designed based on the Diamond's flagships; they can even split off to form smaller vessels. They were created as a counter to the Apexes."

"And...pray tell, what exactly is an Apex?" said Emerald.

"One of the Interlopers' new weapons," she said. "Let us hope we never run into any. Though I doubt we will be so lucky…"

Soon after, they arrived at the largest room so far, filled to the brim with ships of all sizes, shapes, and colors. "We are here," announced Tanzanite.

"We sure are," Emerald said. "Is this the surprise?"

"Wow, look at all the ships!" said Pearl before Tanzanite could answer. She ran out to the center of the room to get a better look at the fleet. "Can we pick any one of them?" In her excitement, she bumped into another Gem.

"You certainly can," said this new Gem. Pearl looked up-she was another Emerald. "Any except that one." She pointed to a specific ship placed on a pedestal overlooking the whole room.

"Yes, that's quite a fine ship." Emerald said.

"Isn't it?" said the other Emerald. She was a bit lighter and younger-looking than our Emerald, and her gemstone was over her left eye. "The _Sun Incinerator_-the finest craft in my whole collection! Oh, the stories I could tell about that beauty!"

"I'm quite sure you could," Emerald said. "Not to be rude, but we're in a bit of a hurry."

"Oh, I'm sure you are, _former Supreme Admiral_," the other Emerald said.

"Er...pardon?" said Emerald.

"Yes, I know you," said her twin. "I must say, it truly is an honor to meet you, my predecessor!"

"Oh...so you're the new Supreme Admiral?"

"Indeed I am!" she said. "And might I say, you left some big boots for me to fill, but I'm confident I can more than live up to the task! I've got just the Era-2 magic this empire needs!"

Tanzanite had been looking up at the _Sun Incinerator_. "Not to intrude, Supreme Admiral, but...your ship's placement feels a small bit risky to me. That far away from any guards or defenses, would it not be rather easy to steal?"

"How insightful!" said the other Emerald. "How about this: I don't tell you to do your job, and you don't tell me to do mine?" Her cheerful demeanor never faltered. "Anyway, Emerald, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got business to attend to. "Your ship is over there. Ta-ta!" And with that, she walked off.

"She seems pleasant," Pearl said.

"'My ship?'" said Emerald. "Tanzanite, did you get me a new ship?"

"Not me specifically," she said. "And as for 'new'...well, just look."

Emerald turned to the ship in question; she recognized it immediately. "I-Is that…?" A ship from Era-1, having been rebuilt with an Era-2 flair. "It's...it's the _Soul Evaporator_!"

"Yes it is, My Emerald!" said Tanzanite. "We salvaged the chassis from the original, but aside from that, it has been completely revamped. Entirely for the better, of course."

Emerald strolled around the ship to get a better view of the new features, which Tanzanite rattled off. "Four-foot-thick polymer armor. State-of-the-art shielding capabilities. Next-generation nova thrusters. Twelve electron cannons and four front-mounted plasma launchers, plus a new surprise." On the ship's front was a circular divot filled with rotating machinery, a hole at the very center. "We repurposed the same anti-craft cannon that first shot it down. We call it: the Decimator."

Emerald placed her palm on the vehicle's side. "It's good to be back," she said.


	7. Warzone

Chapter Seven: Warzone

* * *

_Interloper Dreadnaught, Unknown Regions._

"Pythoriax!" shouted Zirconium, running onto the ship's bridge. The Interloper groaned, dreading what she had to complain about this time.

"What is it?" he growled. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"That's exactly why I came here," said the fusion. "You told me our efforts were supposed to be focused on Telmis. Why are you leading an attack on Auragh?"

Pythoriax sighed, shaking his head. "Oh, Zirconium. You poor, naive Gem. Your heart is truly in the right place, but your strategic ability is almost nonexistent. I'm only going off what that little 'hacker' of yours said."

"But what's the use of attacking Auragh-18?" Zirconium said.

Pythoriax chuckled. "And that's why you'd make for a terrible commander." He began to stroll about the bridge. "I'm simply doing my duties as a loyal follower of the Oculus. By attacking Auragh-18, we deprive Homeworld of the one thing it needs more than anything else: new Gems. Now, are you going to continue questioning our partnership, or are you going to make yourself useful?"

"Who are you to command me?" Zirconium asked, scowling.

"I am General Pythoriax, last remaining enforcer of the Primax," he said, looming over her. "And if you wish to have a spot in the new era I am prepared to usher in, you and your band of warriors will aid my forces on Auragh-18."

* * *

_The Auragh System._

With a sudden distortion of space-time, the heavy frame of the _Soul Evaporator_ jumped from out of hyperspace. It was followed by several other Gem ships, all of them coming to provide backup to the soon-to-be colony. Near them was the eighteenth planet from the system's star, which was currently lit up by an intense conflict. Dozens of ships hung in the planet's orbit, of both Gem and Interloper origin.

"Me Emerald, I am detecting numerous Interloper battleships in the immediate vicinity," reported Tanzanite. "Given the sheer volume, it would be unwise to take them on directly."

"Then we'll go on the defensive," Emerald decided. "Engage combat mode!"

The _Soul Evaporator_'s rear modules both realigned themselves to point their cannons forward, prepared to open fire on any and all threats that approached.

Emerald stood up from her chair, heading towards the docking bay. "All units to your stations," she continued. "All Peridots, man the cannons. All Nephrites, be ready to board fighters, but do not launch until I give the order. Quartzes, to the dropships. We're heading to the surface to provide aid."

Upon arriving at the hangar, Emerald hopped aboard a dropship beside several Citrines. While many of them had previously served under Emerald's command, quite a few were from Era-2. Due to the lack of resources, these ones did not have the same size and strength of their sisters-in-arms. They were equipped with blasters and strength-enhancing exo-suits to compensate.

"See you on the other side, Mera!" shouted Onyx. Emerald nodded.

"Tanzanite, give me a full scan of the conflict," Emerald said as the dropships took off.

"Already in progress, My Emerald," she said. "It appears that Homeworld forces have already managed to construct a Spire which is acting as a base of sorts. Ships are protecting it from atmospheric assault, but ground troops are being overwhelmed."

"Understood. Dropships 1 through 8, get us as close to the frontlines as you can. The rest, head to the Spire to aid with defense. Tanzanite, try and get the _Soul_ within firing distance without drawing those battleships' attention. Everyone..._Adamantem in Eternum_."

All of the dropships descended through the planet's atmosphere, where they were greeted with the sight of the ground conflict. The Gems were dug in fairly well, but the Interlopers threatened to overwhelm them. Making matters worse, they seemed to have a new toy: what appeared to be an absolutely massive complex, covered with guns, slowly made its way to the spire on a pair of tank treads.

"Ho-ly crack," Emerald whispered. "I assume that's an Apex?"

"Negative, My Emerald," reported Tanzanite. "That is a Broodmother. It is a mobile assault fortress that doubles as a factory for Interlopers."

"Either way, we gotta take it out," Onyx said. "Otherwise it's gonna smash through our defenses like a hammer through talc!"

It was then that Emerald had an idea. "Tanzanite...how quickly can you charge up the Decimator?"

"It will take quite some time," she said. "If I begin the charging process now, it will take roughly twenty minutes."

"Better get to it, then," Emerald said. "Alright, this is our stop. Everyone out, guns blazing!"

The dropships blew away several nearby Interlopers with their cannons to give the troops some breathing room. Emerald and the rest of the Citrines departed, those with blasters blasting, and those with weapons smashing and slicing.

Emerald's time in the simulator proved useful. A battalion of Scavengers approached from over a hill, and she dispatched them with her blasters in short order. She did the same when a Predator attempted to attack her from behind.

"My Emerald, an important transmission just came through for you," Tanzanite said. "It appears to be from the overseer of this colony."

"Good, put her through," said Emerald. She and several other Quartzes were taking cover behind a fallen Gem fighter from incoming fire.

The communication was passed on to her. "So, Homeworld finally decided to send some backup, huh?" she said. Her voice was definitely that of an Amethyst. "Good to see we haven't been forgotten about!"

"I wasn't about to sit by and watch these metal-heads tear up such a promising planet," Emerald said, continuing to shoot the oncoming robots into scrap. "Now, who's in charge here?"

"That would be me," she responded. "Amethyst Facet BR19 Cut 23R at your service!"

"You?" said Emerald, surprised. "I was expecting a Garnet, or a Beryl. Or at least an Agate."

"Yeah, well, I'm the best we have right now," said the Amethyst. "We're stretched pretty thin as-is. We had an Agate, but she's too busy defending the Tacitus system now. For now, we just have to make do."

"I can live with that," Emerald said. A squadron of Raptors rained fire from above, but Emerald brought them to the ground with a wave of electricity, where her Citrines finished them off. "Can you give me a rundown of the situation?"

"That Broodmother has us pinned down," the Amethyst said. "My fleet has the aerial situation under control, but if we don't do something about that thing, it's going to flatten us."

"Say no more, I'm working on a solution," Emerald said, before switching her comms over to the _Soul Evaporator_. "Tanzanite, how much longer are we looking at on charge time?"

"Seventeen more minutes, My Emerald," she said. "And I believe the Interlopers have detected our energy signatures."

"Figures," Emerald groaned. "All fighters, defend the _Soul_." She switched back over to Amethyst. "I need your forces to defend my flagship."

"I can do that," she said. "In the meantime, try and keep the littler ones away from the Spire. If they get the front lines, well...Jades aren't known for their combat ability."

Emerald radioed Onyx. "Have your dropships arrived yet?" she said.

"Yeah, we've been here for a bit," Onyx replied. "I can see the battle from here, but there's nothing near us. Are you sure you don't want us to come help?"

"Negative, I need you there to take out any Interlopers that sneak past the defenses."

"Err, not to rush you or anything, but that Broodmother's getting closer," Amethyst interrupted.

"Sixteen minutes until fully charged, My Emerald," reported Tanzanite.

Emerald ducked down behind some cover, trying to clear her head. "Everyone, just stay calm!" she said. "We can handle this, just give it a little time!"

An explosion shook the surrounding area, sending up a cloud of dust. Emerald leaned up over her barricade to shoot at whatever had caused it, but there was nothing in sight. Curiously she scanned the horizon for Carnivores or some such heavy unit, but found nothing. That was when another explosion came from behind her.

Emerald wheeled around, arm extended, but again saw nothing. "Amethyst, do you have visual on any sort of orbital bombardment?" she asked.

"Not in the area, at least," the Quartz replied. "And the battleships above us seem more interested in your fleet."

Emerald punched the ground in frustration. "Tanzanite, how are you holding up up there?"

"Just fine, Me Emerald," she said. "Allied cruisers are currently protecting the _Soul Evaporator_ from all Interloper attacks. Fifteen minutes until full charge."

"Good, good," said Emerald. "Just be sure to fire the Decimator as soon as it-" Emerald trailed off as a strange object landed near her. It looked like a yellow orb, but as it rolled it seemed to have some sort of string extending from out of it. It wasn't until she saw the string growing shorter and shorter, thanks to a spark at the end, that Emerald pieced together what it could be. Mere seconds before the bomb exploded, she hurled herself over the barricade. Just like the explosions before, a cloud of dust was kicked up, obscuring her vision.

As the dust cleared, a trio of figures became visible. Emerald waved away what remained of the smoke, and was greeted by three familiar faces, at least on her end. One was short and stout, one was floating, and one was hunched over aggressively. She was face-to-face with Topaz, Amber, and Serpentine.

Topaz stood up front, tossing one of the bombs to herself. "Well, well, well. Look who we found, girls! An Emerald! I take it she's here to save the day? Let's change that, shall we?"


	8. Ground Zero

Chapter Eight: Ground Zero

* * *

Emerald transformed both her hands into their blaster configuration, standing up to face these now enemies. "So...you're really helping the Interlopers, then?" She shook her head. "I didn't realize you were that desperate."

Topaz raised an eyebrow. "And what do you know about us? And why do you look so...fake?"

Emerald aimed her blasters at the trio. "That's beside the point. Give up now, and this won't have to get ugly."

Topaz sneered, before stepping back in mock surrender. "Oh, dear, the big, strong Emerald is here to arrest us! How ever will we-" She then hurled the bomb in her hand at Emerald. The bomb detonated, knocking her back into the dirt. Her vision was inpaired from the smoke, but she heard Topaz say "Keep her busy while I go prepare."

Emerald wiped the dust from her screen. "Hey! Get back here, now!" She gave chase in the general direction of the off-colored Gems, but they had vanished into the smoke. Further in the distance, the gigantic Broodmother continued to gain ground. Even more worrisome, a fresh wave of Interlopers was being sent towards the Spire, looking like a thick cloud in the distance.

Something skittered quickly behind Emerald; by the time she turned around, it had disappeared. She looked for her foes in all directions, her blasters prepared to open fire. When all of a sudden, something fast and green slammed into her. The impact sent both her and this attacker barreling down a nearby hill.

Serpentine made herself known, wrestling with Emerald even as both of them continued to tumble. Both of them punched and grappled with the aim of doing the most damage to the other before they reached the ground.

Upon reaching the bottom, Emerald threw Serpentine off her, opening fire with her blasters. The other Gem hissed, and scurried away on all-fours before the shots could connect. Emerald gave chase, even though this enemy was far faster than her. She soon arrived at a wrecked Interloper cruiser.

She hopped through a hole in the wall, scanning the darkness with a light from her screen. Distant explosions rang out as she searched through the ghastly wreckage. Emerald stood still-she had heard voices. Too faint to make out, but definitely nearby. This must be where those off-colors had gotten to. She eventually located the source of the noise, behind a wall. She charged up her electrical powers, and…

The wall exploded. "On the ground, all three of you!" Emerald yelled. Blaster outstretched. However, inside the room were not the off-colors, but a small platoon of Citrines. Their stature, armor, and presence of blasters indicated that they were Era-2.

The one nearest to the wall yelped in shock, throwing her arms into the air. "Don't shoot! Friendlies, don't shoot!"

Once she noticed who she had burst in on, Emerald disengaged her blaster in embarrassment. "Ahem...yes, of course. I er...how are you all holding up in here?"

"Aside from nearly being startled out of my physical form, not bad," another one of them said. Emerald rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Thing is, were all pinned down in here. We can't go out or they'll blast us to bits, and we can't go out the back or they'll get right past us. We're too close to the Spire as it is."

Just then, a barrage of Interloper lasers slammed against the side of the ship. Everyone ducked down. "See?" another Citrine said once the beams had ceased.

"So, you're just going to sit here?" said Emerald. "You're Citrines, you're supposed to be warriors!"

"We are," one of them said. "But we're Era-2 warriors. We're not really cut out for combat like our predecessors were."

Emerald walked up to this Citrine. "You. What's your designation?"

"Citrine Facet 4L9 Cut 9R9," she said. "But the girls call me Nines."

"Well, Nines," Emerald said. "Here's how I see it: I may be an Era-1 Gem, but I got turned into a rabid monster, and now I got rebuilt into some sort of exo-shell." She indicated her new body to the Quartzes. "I figure if I can come back from what I've been through, fighting off a few Interlopers should be no problem for you. And that goes for _all_ of you."

A visor-clad Citrine, evidently the leader, stood up. "She's right," she said. "If the Diamonds didn't think we were good enough, they would have gotten rid of us a long time ago. But we're still here, and we're the only ones keeping those rustbuckets from overrunning the whole planet."

"Good point," said another. "Hey, Nines, show her the thing!"

"T-the thing?" said the Citrine called Nines. "I don't know if I can do it while you're watching..."

"Come on, the thing!" said another. "If any time's the time for the thing, it's now."

"Yes, Nines, show me this 'thing' of yours," said Emerald. She sounded confident, despite having little to know idea what they were talking about.

"Well, here goes nothing," said Nines. "Her hand want to her gem, located on her right side, adjacent to her stomach. She scrunched up her eyes in concentration, and after a bit of time and effort, pulled a weapon from her gemstone: a golden khopesh.

"Interesting," said Emerald. "I thought Era-2 Gems couldn't summon weapons."

"They can't," one of the Citrines said. "Nines here's the only one of our entire Facet who could summon one!"

"That sounds like an advantage to me," said Emerald. "Now come on, let's take out those Inter-"

Before Emerald could finish rousing the troops into action, the husk of a ship they had taken refuge in was suddenly yanked to the side. Everyone present either fell over, grabbed hold of the nearest object or Gem, or some combination of the two. It seemed that some invisible force had uprooted the ship and was pulling it higher and higher into the air. Once this force decided it was high enough, the ship was thrown aside haphazardly.

"Hang on, I'm gonna try something!" shouted Nines. She gripped her khopesh tightly as the weapon became charged with whitish-yellow energy. With two swipes, Niner sliced through the side of the ship. All it took then was an impact from her sisters-in-arms to tear through the hull, and create an opening for the Gems to jump to safety. The wreckage crashed among several other of its brethren, adding another to what had become a graveyard of ships.

Once the gang got their bearings, it became apparent that they were surrounded. Numerous Scavengers and Predators approached then en masse, their cannons charged. In the center of these machines, Serpentine and Amber stood, each one bearing their weapon: Serpentine wielded a pair of claws, while Amber held some sort of metal wand.

"So...is it time to blow some shard up?" asked one of the Citrines.

"You know it is," said her commander. The Quartzes readied their blasters. "Light 'em up!"

Both battalions opened fire. Laser beams of all colors flew every which way. As Emerald had predicted, although they were Era-2 Citrines, their advanced armor and fighting spirit allowed them to easily go toe-to-toe with the Interlopers.

Emerald participated in the shootout as well. In-between blasting robots, she radioed the _Soul Evaporator_. "Hey, Tanzanite, how are we looking on that air support?"

"Six more minutes until fully charged, My Emerald," she reported. "Interloper ships are making an advance, but they have not breached our defenses.

"Understood. We're holding on down here, you do the same," Emerald said. She got back to the battle just in time to dodge a shot fired from a Predator.

Emerald aimed her blaster at the Interloper, who responded by scanning the ground beneath it. Apparently, it found what it was looking for: a Ruby gemstone. Confused, Emerald neglected to shoot the Predator.

This would prove to be a mistake. The Interloper's chest opened up, revealing a small cavity beneath its power core, into which it slotted the Ruby. It's chest slammed shut, and the Predator glowed with a red light.

Before she could inquire what had happened, the Interloper launched a stream of flame at Emerald. She tanked the blast, holding her arms out to block it. "What did that thing just do!?" she yelled.

One of the Citrines took a moment from blasting Interlopers to answer her. "You mean using the Ruby's powers? Yeah, they can do that now."

Emerald ducked to the side to dodge the fire. With one well-placed strike of electricity, she blew the Predator's head clean off. "Well, not on my time, they don't." She hurried over to bubble the Ruby, which she tore from the robot's chest. Before she could send her back home, she found herself attacked by Serpentine.

The reptilian Gem snarled. "You are everything that's wrong with Homeworld!" She swiped at Emerald with her claws.

Lacking a close-combat weapon, Emerald retaliated with her electricity. Serpentine staggered back, but renewed her assault. "You don't see me selling out to our enemies!" Emerald retorted.

Serpentine reached the Beryl, repeatedly scratching her exo-shell, driving her backwards. "Exactly!" she growled. "Because you're on top! The upper-crust! Pushing all the rest of us down!" She continued to drive Emerald back, until Emerald stepped on a glowing yellowish light on the ground, which glowed brighter. "And now we're pushing back!"

Serpentine dove backwards as the bomb exploded, sending Emerald flying a small distance away. She shook off the blast, and as she sat up, she saw Topaz standing among some wreckage, grinning at the green Gem's misfortune.

Emerald stood up to go after her, only to be attacked by Serpentine again. However, Nines arrived to aid her, giving Serpentine a slash in the shoulder. She screeched in anger, turning her attention to the Quartz. "You get the little one, I'll handle her!" said Nines. Emerald nodded, running off to give Topaz a piece of her mind.

"Three minutes until fully charged, My Emerald," said Tanzanite.

Emerald followed the yellow Gem into a twisted jungle of broken ships. Metal stretched to the sky, some of it still sparking from electronic parts that were not yet out of power. Occasionally, something was thrown against the pile as the group's ship had been earlier. Emerald glanced over to the main battle: these objects, presumably including their ship, had come from Amber. By waving her wand like a conductor's baton, she was able to move objects through the air.

One of Topaz's bombs landed near Emerald, snapping her back to the moment. She ducked behind a slab of metal just in time to avoid the explosion. He re-emerged with her blaster pointed ahead.

"Look, why don't you save us both the trouble and give up now, 'kay?" said Topaz. Emerald turned in the direction of her voice, but saw nothing. "We all know it's hopeless at this point. Zirconium said so." Her voice came from somewhere completely different this time. Was she teleporting? "One the Interlopers destroy Homeworld, then we'll be the ones in charge!"

Emerald crept through the wreckage. "Look, I know you have it tough," Emerald said. "You didn't ask to be defective. But that's no reason to-"

"You see!? That's exactly what Z warned us about!" said Topaz. "People like you, you don't care about people like us! You just want everything to stay neat and tidy in your perfect little world!"

"What are you talking about?" said Emerald.

"Nothing," Topaz growled. "Just watch where you step!"

Emerald looked down at that exact moment to notice she had stepped on another of Topaz's booby traps. She couldn't leap away in time, and was once again caught in the explosion.

"Urgh…" groaned Emerald, rubbing her head, more on reflex than anything. She noticed that the exo-shell had seen better days, being full of cracks and chips. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of yellow. Then another, and another. She tried to locate Topaz, but she wasn't in one place for long.

"Aww, poor Emerald, all washed up," said Topaz. Emerald aimed her blaster, but unfortunately missed. "Ha! No wonder you're losing with aim like that!" She pulled one of her bombs from her gem; she placed it against the ground, where it phased through the dirt, leaving only a dim circle of light.

Emerald shot a burst of electricity, which Topaz easily dodged. She wasn't teleporting-she was just really fast. _Really_ fast.

_I'll never be able to hit her at this rate,_ thought Emerald. _I've gotta find some other way…_ Off in the distance, Emerald saw that the Broodmother was getting dangerously close. Interlopers continued to spill out of the massive vehicle.

"Trust me, we can do a better job running this shard-show that you and the Diamonds _ever_ could," Topaz assured her. Emerald responded by firing an electric blast-as she anticipated, Topaz dodged, relocating to continue her spiel elsewhere. "You know, you never did tell me why you look like that," she said. Emerald fired once again, to similar results.

"You know, that isn't doing much," Topaz said. "So are you going to answer my question?"

"No, said Emerald, firing another blast. Topaz dodged again, finally ending up where Emerald wanted her.

"When are you gonna learn?" said Topaz. "Are you even _trying_ to hit me?"

"No," said Emerald.

"What?" Topaz said.

"My Emerald, we are prepared to fire on your command," radioed Tanzanite.

"Fire."

Out in Auragh-18's orbit, the _Soul Evaporator_'s largest cannon began to spin, faster and faster. Energy crackled around the turbine before an enormous beam of blue light shot forth from the ship. Fitting its name, this beam decimated any Interloper vessel caught in its path as it streaked towards its destination: the Broodmother, which Topaz was standing in front of, uncovered.

"W-wait! No!" Topaz tried to run to cover, but the weapon had already hit its mark. The Broodmother exploded in spectacular fashion, sending all the nearby robots airborne with a gigantic shockwave. Topaz, too, was flung into the air, colliding with the hull of a destroyed ship. Emerald, hidden on the ground behind another ship, was relatively unaffected.

Dazed, Topaz looked up to see the form of Emerald looming over her. She coughed. "No...no biggie," she said. "Go on. Go ahead and shatter me! It won't make a difference!"

"No," said Emerald. "You're going to face justice."

Emerald's blaster discharged, and Topaz's physical form dissipated. Emerald picked up her gemstone, sending it back to her home inside a bubble. She would deal with her later. But first, she had to round up the rest of her off-colored fellows.


	9. Fixing What's Broken

Chapter Nine: Fixing What's Broken

* * *

_Auragh-18, Capital City._

Emerald had taken quite a beating that previous battle. Although the Interloper attack had been fended off for now, it was not without cost. While her forces worked on repairing the damage that they could, Emerald herself was having her exo-shell repaired by some Peridots while she conversed with its maker via holo-screen.

"I'm glad the exo-shell is working as intended," Heliodor said, "but you've got to be more careful with it. It's the only one of its kind, and I don't have the approval to build another one. If that's busted, you're back to square one."

The large crack in her screen had been sealed, and the Peridots were welding any other holes shut. "Easier said than done," said Emerald. "They're still the same old Interlopers, but they've got some new tricks. Why didn't anyone tell me they can use Gems to increase their power?"

"Pardon?" said Heliodor.

"I saw a Predator insert a Ruby into its chest and take her power. When did they learn how to do that?"

Heliodor shook her head. "They've been doing that for a while. I don't remember the exact time they developed it. And there was never really a good time to tell you. 'Oh, by the way, they do this now. Have fun!'"

Emerald sighed. "Whatever. Anyways, Auragh-18 is safe for now, but I can't tell for how long. Has Homeworld sent any assistance?"

"Unfortunately, no," said Heliodor. "We're stretched too thin as it is. If you hadn't come back, we would've had nobody to send there at all. Looks like you're our only-oh, hang on, I'm getting another call."

Heliodor pressed a button, and another holo-screen appeared beside hers. This one bore the armored viseage, or lack thereof, of Bixbite.

"Heliodor, we need another shipment of bio-poison," the red Gem said. "How soon can you-Oh. Hello, Emerald."

"Hello, Bixbite," said Emerald. "Gallantly fighting off the invaders, as usual?"

"You know it!" Bizbite said. "But, er, how did you get this number? I thought you were no longer on the Council?"

"I'm not," Emerald said. "And for the record, Heliodor called _me_."

"Ah, yes, your new armor and whatnot," Bixbite said. "Anyways, Heliodor? The bio-poison?"

"Working on it," said Heliodor. "We've been in short supply since Research Station Corvus disappeared. Sorry Emerald, I have to go now."

"I understand," Emerald said. "Good luck to you two."

The other Gems returned the courtesy, and both screens vanished. Emerald quickly stood up, startling the Peridots repairing her suit. "Excuse me, Emerald, but repairs aren't finished yet!" one of them said.

"I'll be back later," Emerald said. "I need to take care of a few things first."

First order of business was getting the situation from the planet's leader. Exiting the medical bay, Emerald made her way towards the top of the Spire. The _Soul Evaporator_ was docked not far from it. She was sure most of her crew had already entered the building.

"Glad you're back, My Emerald!" said Pearl. The little pink Gem was waiting for Emerald by the Spire's entrance, and quickly ran over to walk beside her once she arrived.

"Pearl? Have you been standing there this whole time?" asked Emerald. The pair entered the elevator, headed for the penthouse.

"Yes!" said Pearl. "Well, no. I got bored and wandered off a few times, but I ran back because I was worried I would miss you!"

Emerald playfully tousled the other Gem's hair. "Pearl, I know you're a Pearl, but you don't have to be with me every second of the day."

Pearl seemed hurt by this. "My Emerald, you've been gone for years! Now you're back, but I've hardly been able to spend any time with you…"

"I know, Pearl," Emerald said. "I want to spend time with you, too. But with the Interlopers attacking, I've been busy. Once this is behind us, we can spend our days attached at the hip."

"Okay!" said Pearl. The elevator reached the top, and the two of them stepped out.

There were nowhere near as many Gems as one would usually find in a Spire's penthouse, and the ones that were there weren't ones one would expect. There were Jades, of course, and one or two Sapphires, but there were also a lot of lower-class Gems: Quartzes, Nephrites, even Rubies.

"Hey, there's the Gem of the hour!" Emerald recognized Onyx's voice. The black Gem approached her. "Hey, Mera! I was just shooting the breeze with Amethyst here."

"So, you must be 'Mera.' Nice to finally meet face-to-face," the Amethyst said. Rather than purple like one would expect, she was green-a rarity amongst her Gem type, like Padparadschas for Sapphires. Her gemstone was on her left shoulder.

"So, I take it you're 23R?" said Emerald.

"In the light," the Quartz said. "Nice save with that firework show of yours. Those tin cans didn't know what hit 'em!"

"Void yeah they didn't!" said Onyx. "Didn't I tell ya? Mera's the _Gem_!"

"I'm just glad we were able to push back their advance," said Emerald. "But they'll be back, and we have to be ready for when they are."

"Of course," said Amethyst. "But between them and the local flora, this planet's proving to be a real handful."

"What sort of flora?" asked Emerald.

Amethyst beckoned for Emerald to follow her over to a window. Outside was an aerial view of the battlefield from before. The smoldering remains of the Broodmother were front and center. But something else was present, as well: a dull green mat blanketed the land to the left, and some strands of it had even crept onto the battlefield.

"Vines," said Amethyst. "This planet's covered in 'em. They're tough, they're thorny, and they grow like nobody's business! We had to use some bio-poison just to clear the way for the Spire, and we ordered some more to clear 'em out. We've tried everything: we can't cut 'em fast enough, burning 'em doesn't work-the planet's almost not worth the effort!"

"Unfortunately, it is most certainly worth the effort," said Tanzanite.

Emerald turned around. "Tanzanite. I didn't know you were here, too," she said.

"I came to relax after that stressful battle," she said. Emerald and Pearl looked at each other; the latter shrugged. They were unaware Tanzanite could even _be_ stressed. "In any case, inhabited planets are too hard to find nowadays. Even one such as this is necessary for our continued survival."

"You said it," said Amethyst. "Anyways, I'm gonna work on some more battle plans in case the Interlopers do decide to come back. I'll call you if I need you."

"Sure thing," said Emerald. "You're in charge, after all." The four Gems went their separate ways. Amethyst stayed to draw up a strategy, Onyx and Tanzanite went elsewhere, and Emerald decided to head to the Spire's roof, followed by Pearl.

"It's so surreal, taking orders from an Amethyst," said Emerald. "It's sad that this is how far Homeworld's fallen."

"I dunno, I think she's doing a pretty good job," said Pearl.

"Good job or not, it still feels weird," Emerald said. "Amethysts shouldn't have to give orders. That's what their commanders are for."

"So, why don't you take command?" asked Pearl.

"Trust me, I would if I could," Emerald replied. "But orders are orders, and this isn't my place to command. Like it or not, it's hers."

As the pair walked, they soon came across an Era-2 Citrine talking with some Peridots. The Peridots eyed Emerald, just like the ones on Homeworld had done. As she grew closer, they eventually left, and the Citrine turned around to wave Emerald over. "Emerald! Hey, Emerald!" she said.

"Nines?" Emerald said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much," she said. "But hey, I never got the chance to thank you for saving us back there. If you hadn't come in, we would've been blown apart for sure!"

"Oh, it wasn't me that saved you," Emerald said. "You saved yourselves. I was just there to help."

"If you say so," said Nines. "Anyway, I was talking to those Peridots back there, and they seemed to really look up to you."

Emerald was taken-aback. "Really?"

"Yeah, really!" Nines said. "You're the Gem that took out the Interloper Generals! And with your new body, well...you're a bit of an inspiration to Gems like them. Gems like us."

"Oh," said Emerald. "I-I had no idea."

"Mm-hmm. Us Era-2 Gems kinda feel left out sometimes. We aren't as big or strong as the Era-1 Gems, and we don't have as many powers. But you-you may not be Era-2, but you have the Era-2 spirit."

"Did you hear that, My Emerald?" said Pearl. "The Era-2 spirit! You're a celebrity!"

"I guess I am…" said Emerald.

"You don't really sound too excited," said Nines. "You don't need to be so modest! Anyway, I've gotta go on patrol, but I hope I can see you again!" With a wave, she took off towards the elevator.

"That's pretty cool, huh?" said Pearl. "Everyone here loves you!"

Emerald was busy looking at her reflection in a window. "I never really thought of myself as a celebrity..." she said.

Emerald had always been unsure of herself since day one. Now, hearing everyone describe how great and selfless and unstoppable she was-it felt good. _Really_ good. It was then that she decided to finally embrace it, to become just as good as everyone thought of her. After all, she was the greatest Emerald Homeworld had ever seen! Right?

...Right?


	10. Signal

Chapter Ten: Signal

* * *

_Interloper Dreadnaught, Unknown Regions._

Zirconium paced back and forth in the hallway, agitated. Onix stood silently beside her. Amber and Serpentine had just arrived to give her the bad news of Topaz's capture. She was not taking it well.

"I should have seen this coming," she growled. "Of _course_ she couldn't do anything right-she's a Topaz! That's about as close you can get to the upper-crust without actually crossing the line. I knew it was a mistake to take her in…"

"There's no need to worry, Zirconium," said Amber. "There's still time to get her back."

"It's too late for that now," Zirconium said. "She had her chance. And now you have yours. For your sake, I hope you actually have what it takes."

Serpentine growled. "Of course we do. I, for one, can't wait to get my hands on the Gem that took her out…"

"Good. Then be off." Both Gems left to return to Auragh-18. When Zirconium turned to return to her quarters, she heard laughter behind her. Pythoriax.

"Having some trouble with your underlings, are you?" he said.

"What happens between me and them is our business, not yours," said the fusion. Onix said nothing, only glaring disapprovingly at the Interloper.

"I should think it _is_ my business," said Pythoriax. The robot began bearing down on his Gem associate. "We're partners now, after all. And in any case, I've never had a single issue with my troops. Do you know why? Because with us Interlopers, insubordination is a thing of the past. They don't rebel, because we _can't_. And if all your talk about fighting for your freedom against an unjust regime proves to be just that, I'll be more than happy to trust my own kind rather than yours."

Zirconium cringed. "I got you access to the warp network, just like I said I would, didn't I?"

"You did," said Pythoriax, beginning to walk away. "And now, I'm beginning to suspect you're all out of tricks." He momentarily turned back towards her. "For your sake, I hope you can prove me wrong."

* * *

_Auragh-18._

For the next day or so, all was quiet. After the Interloper's initial attack, all their remaining forces retreated, or at least fell back to regroup. Construction of the colony resumed as usual, save for the removal of the bothersome vines.

"I swear, sometimes it feels like these things are _trying_ to stop us," Amethyst had told Emerald. "But once we get that bio-poison, we can clear 'em out just fine."

However, no bio-poison came. Instead, the very next morning, the routines of all those present were rudely interrupted when plasma shells began raining down upon the settlement from the upper atmosphere: the Interlopers were back for more.

As alarms sounded through the halls, Emerald raced to the top of the Spire. "Amethyst, what's going on out there?" she asked.

"Nothing good," replied the green Quartz. "Looks like these rust-buckets are back for round two. Their battleships are blasting us at range, so none of our surface-to-air turrets can hit 'em."

"Have you launched the ships yet?" asked Emerald.

"Already underway," Amethyst said. "But Emerald-"

"Good. I'll get up there and see what I can do," Emerald said. "Tanzanite, begin charging the-"

"Hang on a moment, Emerald," said Amethyst. "Before you go, I have something I need to show you." Amethyst pulled up a map of the planet, with both the Spire and the Interloper ships highlighted. "Just before these battleships arrived out of hyperspace, some of my techs picked up a signal not far from here." A ping appeared on the planet's surface a few miles away from them.

"You think that has something to do with the ships?" said Emerald.

"I do," Amethyst replied. "It could be a targeting beacon of some sort. Emerald, a few ships we can handle, but if whatever's out there is calling more, then it takes priority. I'm sending out a battalion of ground troops to investigate, and I was wondering if you would allow Onyx to accompany 'em."

"Sure, of course," replied Emerald. "In fact, I'll lead the expedition myself."

"You will?" said Amethyst. "What happened to dealing with the ships?"

"Like you said, your fleet can handle a few ships," Emerald said. "Besides, now I'm curious as to what this is." Emerald turned to leave, calling Onyx on her communicator. "Onyx? Round up the others. We're going on a nature walk…"

* * *

Leaves rustled as the Gems worked their way through the tangle of vines. "Ugh, what is with these things?" asked a Citrine as she muscled through a particularly rough patch.

Onyx did her best to tear a path, but even she was being slowed down by the thorny plants. "Stupid vines," she grumbled. "This is why I can't stand organics! Even when they're not trying to kill you outright, they still get in your way!"

Emerald radioed to Amethyst. "How close are we to the signal?" she asked.

"Not much farther, but you aren't making that good time," Amethyst responded. "Any chance you could hurry it up? Due respect, of course."

"Easier said than done," Emerald said. "Why? Are you guys losing back there? I can head back if you need the _Soul_."

"No, we're fine," said Amethyst. "It's just that I've got a bad feeling about this. The Interlopers clearly don't want us completing this colony; I'm worried about what they could be planning."

"Hopefully we'll find out soon," said Emerald. "Provided this isn't a dead end, or a distraction." Once that thought hit her, she quickly sent a message to Tanzanite. "Tanzanite, I need you to get the _Soul Evaporator_ ready for takeoff, just in case."

"Will do, My Emerald," said Tanzanite.

Suddenly, the group stopped moving. Onyx, who had point, had stopped everyone behind her. "What's the matter?" Nines asked quietly.

"There's something out there," Onyx whispered. "It could just be an organic, but I want to make sure." All Gems present sat as still as they could manage. Sure enough, there was a faint rustling among the vines. A Jasper moved closer to investigate.

The thing causing the noise grew closer and closer. Finally, something burst through the vines, causing everyone to jump into attack mode. Fortunately, it was not an enemy-merely a small furry creature no bigger than a fox. It had white fur, four blue eyes, and was covered in burrs and stickers from the vines. Seeing the Gems, it quickly scampered through the brush.

The Jasper sighed. "Phew! For a moment there, I thought that was going to be an Inter-"

Before she could finish, something sliced through her physical form. She vanished, leaving her gem behind in a puff of smoke. The threat soon made itself known: Scavengers emerged from all around the group. And rather than gunmetal grey like usual, these ones had been painted to blend in with the foliage.

"Get down!" yelled Emerald. Blasts of plasma flew through the group, destabilizing a few more Gems. Those who withstood the ambush readied their blasters and began firing back.

One of these Interlopers landed near Emerald. Its cannon shifted a few parts around, until a bright blue energy blade extended from it. The robot held out this new weapon towards her.

"Oh, you got a sword now," said Emerald. "That's nice." The Interloper lunged, and Emerald simply shocked it into the bushes with a stream of electricity. A few shots from her blaster were all it took to finish it off.

Nines hacked away at the attackers with her khopesh. "This isn't good, they've got us surrounded!" she said.

"Then we'll just have to get to safety," said Emerald. "Onyx, can you clear us a path?"

Onyx had tried to summon her weapon, but the hammer proved almost unusable with all the vines. Even the fire from the afterburner couldn't burn through them. She had resorted to fighting with her bare hands instead. "That's gonna be a bit of an issue," she said.

"Don't worry, I've got this," Nines said. She charged her weapon with energy, slicing a path through the vines. "Cover me, I'll cut us a way through!"

Emerald and the others followed Nines, protecting her from the Interlopers as she cleared a path. However, rather than there being less Interlopers, they seemed to be running into more and more. "Nines, are you sure we should be going this way?" asked one of her Facet-mates.

"Positive," said Nines. "This is where the signal was coming from."

The others did their best to cover Nines as they ran. Eventually, after what seemed like far too long, their hard work paid off-the Interloper ranks soon thinned, and the group arrived at a massive clearing in the jungle. There seemed to be some sort of structure at the center of it, covered in vines.

"Man, look at the size of this place," said Onyx. The canopy seemed to stretch several stories into the air. "Yeah, I take it this is where that signal was comin' from."

"That's not the only thing coming from here," said Nines. "We've got more company!"

Numerous Interlopers poured from the structure. Weapons ready, the robots began to advance towards the battalion of Gems.

Emerald quickly radioed Amethyst. "Amethyst, we found the source of the signal," she said. "But we're outnumbered. Can you send us some backup?"

"Can't do, Emerald," said Amethyst. "Those brambles are too thick to land a ship, and it'll take at least half an hour to get more ground troops to you. Not to mention I'm still dealing with this aerial assault. Hate to say it, but you're on your own."

Emerald sighed. "Figures. Emerald out." Emerald disabled her communicator, and transformed her touch stumps into blaster mode. "Get ready, it's about to get real!"

"You mean it wasn't before?" said Nines.

"Fine. Real-er," said Emerald.


	11. Overgrown

Chapter Eleven: Overgrown

* * *

Emerald slammed one of the robots against the side of the structure, smashing it to pieces. Another one came up behind her, its blade prepared to sink into her back; she wheeled around and blew it away with her blaster before it could reach her. "Onyx, status report!"

The large black Gem dispatched a row of the machines with a single swing from her hammer. "Their numbers are thinning out, but we ain't out of the woods yet! Technically speaking…"

"Emerald! I think I found a way in here!" Nines called out. Hidden behind some of the thorny vines was a hole in the metal making up the structure.

"Not ideal, but I'll take what we can get," said Emerald, hurrying over. "All units, for a perimeter!"

"Roger that!" said Onyx. She and the other Quartzes fell back to the hole, forming a defensive block around it. They retreated deeper into the structure to form a bottleneck, only to find out that this hole led straight into the structure.

"How deep does this go?" Emerald wondered aloud. "Maybe we should just hunker down for the time being."

One of the Citrines produced a device to scan down the hallway. "It goes on for a while, My Emerald," she said. "In fact, this whole structure is hollow. I'm not seeing any movement, though."

Emerald nodded in response, ducking back to the front of the blockade. "Onyx, are we good to proceed?"

Onyx, as well as a few other soldiers, had the position locked down. They were dug into the tight tunnel, and no Interlopers could get by. "We'll hold it here, Mera, you're clear to investigate."

"Alright. Me and a team will go further in. Come join us when their assault stops." With a nod from Onyx, Emerald headed down the darkened tunnel. She gestured for a handful of Quartzes to follow her, Nines among them.

As opposed to the dusty, vine-saturated darkness that the Gems had expected, the interior of this structure was bright and pristine-perhaps too much so. It soon became obvious that this wasn't some old ruins from before Gemkind arrived.

"You there, Citrine," said Emerald. "There wasn't a sapient species on this planet before Gems found it, was there?"

"None," the Quartz replied. "Actually, there were barely any organics of any kind. Back before the resource crisis, a planet like this wouldn't even have been approved for colonization, but we're desperate."

"So where did this come from, then?" wondered Nines.

"I think I know," said Emerald.

The hall opened up into a larger room. Just as spacious as tunnel before it, this chamber was also completely devoid of any activity.

"Just as I suspected," Emerald said.

"You know this place, My Emerald?" asked one of the Citrines.

"I do," she replied. "I've been on one several times before. This structure? It's an Interloper ship."

Nines looked around. "Well then, where are all the Interlopers?"

"And why is it covered in overgrowth?" another Citrine asked. "It must have been sitting here for a while now."

"Maybe it crashed," said another.

"Either way, there's no doubt in my mind that this ship is the source of the signal," Emerald said. "And we should probably shut it down while we're here. Spread out, look for any sort of transmitter, and destroy it."

The Citrines paired up in groups of two and dispersed around the ship, looking for anywhere this signal could be coming from. Nines paired with Emerald, following the Beryl down to the ship's core. "So, you really think this ship brought those other ships here?" she asked.

"Maybe, maybe not," Emerald admitted. "But if stopping it could put an end to this assault, it's worth a try."

Unfortunately for them, the signal emitted no sound, making it all the harder to locate a source. Wordlessly, the pair descended towards the ship's core, which Emerald believed to be their best option.

Before they got there, Emerald's communicator was activated. "My Emerald, you might want to come check this out," said a Citrine.

"Did you find the transmitter?" asked Emerald.

"No. This might be even more troubling," she said. "We're towards the back of the ship."

"What's up? Did they find it?" Nines asked.

"Right. I'll be right there," said Emerald. She deactivated the communicator. "Let's go."

"Where? Did they find it?" the Quartz asked.

"No, but they found something even better, apparently," said Emerald. "Or worse, depending."

Both Gems headed to where the voice indicated. As well as the continued lack of Interlopers, once they got near the back of the ship, it seemed that the vessel's weapons systems had been replaced with research material. Various screens displayed information on the subjects displayed in glass containers-all of which were plants.

"Wow. Who knew the Interlopers were so scientifically curious?" said Nines.

Soon, they met up with the two Citrines that had summoned them. Both of them wore expressions of concern. "Now, what is it that you wanted to show me?" said Emerald.

"It was right over here, My Emerald," said one of them. She brought her over to the end of the hallway, where…

"My stars," said Emerald. The entire back of the ship was covered in the same vines from outside. A blast door kept them from getting into the front half, everything else had been completely covered.

"So...only half the ship is infested?" Nines asked.

"More than that," said the other Citrine. "Come look at this."

She showed them information on a nearby screen, which was data all about said vines. Their chemical composition, their ideal habitat, and so on.

"But look at this," said the first Citrine. She pointed out a bit of info on the screen.

"'Native to Belatrius,'" read Emerald. "These vines...they aren't even from Auragh-18. The Interlopers brought them here. They were using them to choke out our colonization efforts."

"Well, that solves that," Nines said. "But what about that signal?"

Her question was answered when the ship suddenly shook, a small quake that only lasted for a moment. "What was that!?" asked one of the Citrines.

"Something hit the ship," said Emerald. "Come on, follow me." She made her way to the bridge of the battleship. Unfortunately, the ship began to shake once more, this time lasting much longer. "Oh, shard…"

"What's going on, My Emerald?" a Citrine asked.

"The ship's taking off!"

* * *

"Uh, Amethyst?" a Peridot back at the Spire said. "Something's going on with that signal you were concerned with!"

Amethyst rushed over. "What's going on with it?" she asked.

"It's, uh, rising," the Peridot said.

"What?"

Indeed it was. The source of the signal was rising off of the ground. Amethyst ran over to the window to see it for herself: off in the distance, a giant Interloper battleship was breaking through the vine jungle.

"Ooh, I hope they aren't on that thing…" she said.

* * *

"Shard, Mera's still up there!" said Onyx from the ground.

Upon noticing a suspicious lack of Interlopers, Onyx and the others had exited the tunnel to stand guard from the outside while they made sure the coast really was clear. It wasn't until then that _something_ had impacted with the structure, which was followed with it lifting off of the ground.

"I-I think that thing's a ship!" one of the Jaspers said. "What now?"

Onyx shook her head. "Come on, let's get to the _Soul Evaporator_. We'll see if we can follow it!"

* * *

"Emerald, we've got incoming!" said Nines. Emerald turned to see several Interlopers emerging from crevasses in the ship.

"Quickly, everyone get out before they take us into orbit!" said Emerald.

"How do you plan on doing that?" a scratchy voice said. Standing directly in the Gems' path was Amber and Serpentine.

"You two," Emerald growled. "Upset I took your little friend out of commission?"

"Very!" said Amber.

"I said I wanted to get my hands on the Gem that took her out," Serpentine said. She licked her lips, making her sharp teeth clearly visible. "And it looks like I found just the opportunity."


	12. Toxic

Chapter Twelve: Toxic

* * *

Interlopers approached to surround the small group of Gems. The Citrines readied their weapons, blasters or summoned weapons, both in the case of Nines. Amber and Serpentine summoned their weapons as well: Amber pulled a baton from the gem on her throat, while Serpentine brought the knifelike gem on her tail closer to her hands, where she produced a pair of claws.

Emerald activated her blaster. "Everyone...get ready to engage on my signal…"

Both sides waited anxiously to begin attacking. Ultimately, it was Serpentine who made the first move, lunging forward at Emerald like a wild animal. Void broke loose, plasma flying everywhere all at once.

Emerald was tackled to the ground by the reptilian Gem before she could get a shot off. She held up her arms to keep Serpentine from sinking her teeth into the exo-shell. The Beryl was able to repel her with a blast of electricity before scrambling to her feet. Her Citrine battalion were preventing the Interlopers from getting too close.

Making matters worse, the ship continued to rise. It was only a matter of time before it rose past the atmosphere, and there was no telling where it was headed. Emerald only knew that she had to stop it before they were separated from the rest of her crew.

"I had expected more from the former Supreme Admiral," Serpentine taunted, both her and Emerald circling the other. "Yes, that's right, I know who you are! And once I tear you out of that pathetic metal suit, I'm going to savor. Every. _Bite_."

"Yeah?" said Emerald. "That overcooked Topaz couldn't do the job. What makes you think you're so qualified?"

Serpentine grinned. "Because I'm distracting you."

Emerald turned just in time to see a large piece of piping hurtling towards her, but not soon enough to get out of the way. The metal object collided with her, sending both it and her down to the lower decks of the ship. A few Citrines were hit as well, falling with her.

One impact later, Emerald struggled to push the object off of herself. Given the faint orange haze around it, Amber had used her baton to throw it at her while Serpentine held her attention. She, with the help of two other Citrines, finally lifted the pipe.

"Are you okay, Emerald?" asked Nines. "It looked like that one caught you off guard."

"Urgh, I'm fine," Emerald groaned. "What's the situation up there?"

"Ah, we're fine," Nines said. "Nothing that a few-AARGH!"

The Citrine cried out in pain as Serpentine attacked her from behind, sinking her teeth into the Quartz's shoulder. Nines swung her khopesh wildly, but Serpentine leapt off her and slunk away. Emerald readied both blasters and fired in her general direction, but hit nothing. "L6M, status report!" shouted Emerald.

"K0L and T5Y are down, My Emerald," said the Citrine, "and we're being surrounded again!" Indeed more Interlopers were approaching, firing at the Gems.

"Come here, get 9R9 out of harm's way, she got bitten," said Emerald. "I'll handle the clankers." L6M ran over to Nines, while Emerald provided covering fire against the incoming Interlopers.

Nines' body began flickering wildly, and she was unable to keep a hold of her weapons. "W-what's happening to me!?" she asked. "It feels like I'm fading away!"

"Don't worry, Serpentine venom isn't lethal, just disorienting!" Emerald called back. She continued to dispatch the encroaching robots. "Get her out of here!"

"Right away, My Emerald!" said L6M, lifting up Nines and carrying her to (relative) safety. Meanwhile, the Interlopers had gotten past her initial defenses, and were approaching in droves.

One of them, a Predator, picked up the gemstone of a fallen Citrine, placing it in its chest cavity. To Emerald's dismay, the machine lit up with a yellow light. It's bulky, powerful blaster shifted configurations, turning almost inside-out in the process, until it had become a drill.

"Great, not this again!" remarked Emerald. As the Predator charged forwards, its drill held out in front, Emerald dodged to the side. She unloaded blast after blast into the robot's midsection, doing enough damage to disorient it. Before she could strike the killing blow, however, a bulky sheet of metal narrowly missed colliding with her. She turned in the direction it came from to see Amber, with numerous more projectiles hovering around her.

Amber threw more and more of the metal slabs at Emerald, who dodged them with relative ease. It was when the enhanced Predator decided to intervene that the metal panels started to become a problem. Forced to choose which was a better option, between Amber's assault and the Predator's drill, she decided that she rather wouldn't take a drill to the face. Which is almost what happened, grabbing the weapon inches before it broke through the screen that served as her face, holding it back as it rotated. Unfortunately, in doing so, she was unable to dodge any further. One of the pieces of metal collided with her, pinning her to the wall as Amber held it there.

The frightful cackles of Serpentine indicated her presence. She approached the helpless form of Emerald, crawling on all-fours. "As I said, too easy!" she said, standing up.

Emerald struggled to free herself from her confinement. "Oh, like you did anything!" she retorted.

Serpentine laughed. "Oh, I did!" She held up an inert gemstone of a Citrine. All of your little henchGems we didn't destabilize are currently suffering from Serpentine poisoning! When we're done with you, I fully intend to finish them off as well. And like this one…"

Serpentine threw the gemstone into her mouth. Emerald averted her eyes, but there was no way for her to prevent the horrible cracking sound from reaching her ears. The clink of gem shards hitting the floor was enough to make her nauseous.

"Aah, it's been too long since I've had a good meal!" Serpentine said. "And that was just the appetizer! You, Emerald, you're the main course!"

Emerald glared at her. "You're sick," she growled. "You and all your off-color friends are _freaks_!"

"That's not true!" said Amber. Unlike Serpentine, who seemed to revel in Emerald's comment, Amber seemed genuinely hurt by it. "We're only doing this because Homeworld hurt us first!" She lowered her hood, which had obscured most of her face up until this point. Emerald was taken aback to learn that she looked just like the Pearl she once was. The resemblance to Emerald's own Pearl gave the green Gem pause, but her sense of duty to Homeworld renewed her venom.

"How rich!" Emerald snorted. "What about these Citrines? What did they do to you?"

"They enforced the rules of the upper-crust," said Serpentine. "_Your_ rules."

At the same time, Amber said "We don't want to hurt anyone! I tried to tell Serpentine not to-"

"You don't tell me what to do!" Serpentine snarled. "Zirconium was quite clear that I outrank you! And speaking of Zirconium, we're almost back!"

Emerald followed the Gem's eyes out a nearby window, where her own eyes widened at what she saw. Another Interloper ship, far larger than any she had ever seen. It was so big, in fact, that it held seven other battleships like this one comfortably in deployment stations. And this ship was headed right towards it.

"Better get this done quickly, then!" said Serpentine, walking towards Emerald. Her face was right in front of hers, her teeth bared. A low growl escaped from her throat. "And once I'm finished with you...I'm going to have your little Pearl for desert!"

The mere mention of harm coming to her Pearl filled Emerald with a brand-new fire. All thoughts exited her head aside from preventing this from occurring, which meant Serpentine had to be stopped. Inside the exo-shell, Emerald's gemstone began to glow bright. Energy surged from within, with two pulses going straight to her arms.

The piece of metal that trapped Emerald was cut clean in half. This force also left a deep gash in the side of Serpentine's face, causing her to skitter away. The same cut also separated the Predator's head and shoulders from the rest of its body. Emerald stood strong, one of her blades shooting out from each wrist.

"What? No! How!?" cried Amber in disbelief. She began flinging more objects at Emerald, who sliced through each one easily as she strolled towards her. Her face showed no emotion, and she only growled. "Stay away!"

Amber changed tactics slightly, instead throwing Emerald herself. Emerald collided with the wall. Before she could get to her feet, Serpentine attacked her while she was down. The reptilian gem growled, her pupils slitted, light shining from her wound.

"You think this changes anything!?" yelled Serpentine as she slashed with her claws, even using the gemstone at the tip of her tail as a knife. "You're still the same lousy upper-crust you always were!"

Emerald nimbly dodged each of her strikes, reflecting a few of them with her blades. "And you're still the same rotten off-color." Thrusting her arm forward, she broke through Serpentine's guard, slicing her right arm clean off.

Serpentine grabbed her shoulder, howling in pain and rage. She feebly growled at Emerald in an attempt to intimidate her, but the Beryl was unfazed. She pulled her arm back to deliver the finishing blow, but another object collided with her from behind, causing her to stumble. Serpentine used this opportunity to limp away to safety.

Once again, Amber was responsible for Emerald's assault. She barraged her with an endless storm of metal plating, preventing her from standing up. When she tried to fire her blasters, she found that Amber was surrounding herself with a rotating shield made of the same panels, making it harder to hit her. Each time she tried to get up, she was pounded into submission again.

Despite being responsible, Amber seemed to take at least some pity on Emerald. "I'm sorry!" she said. "Zirconium's making me! I wanted to do this peacefully, but she-"

Amber suddenly gasped. Emerald made out the distinct sound of a Gem being destabilized, as all the metal fell to the floor. When she looked up, Emerald saw Nines, khopesh extended, and Amber's gem lying on the floor. Nines' form still flickered, but much less so now. She still looked like she was ready to collapse at any moment, though.

Emerald got to her feet and trudged over to the Citrine. "What happened over there?" she asked.

"What happened over here? What happened over _there_!?" asked Nines. "I was out for a few minutes, and that lizard freak took out most of our troops, you have swords sticking out of your hands, and this one is beating you with the walls!"

"I suppose things did get a little out of hand," said Emerald, picking up Amber's gemstone. She regarded it a moment, before bubbling it and sending it away. "Who's left?"

"Most of them, actually," said Nines. "Everyone who didn't get destabilized was bitten by Serpentine. PL5 met the business end of a Predator's blaster, and 8TU, well...you saw what Serpentine did to her."

Emerald shuddered. "Alright, round everyone up. We've gotta find a way off this ship…"

Unfortunately, while everyone was engaged with the battle, none of them had noticed that the ship had docked to the juggernaut. They didn't notice, that is, until the larger ship sped off into hyperspace, racing far away from Auragh-18 to parts unknown.


	13. Stowaways

Chapter Thirteen: Stowaways

* * *

_Interloper Dreadnaught._

After her tussle with Emerald, Serpentine was left quite banged-up. The slash mark on her face had healed somewhat, but it was still very visible. Her arm had not fully healed either, having only regenerated up to the elbow. She slowly limped through the hallways of the ship, trying to ignore the Interlopers staring at her. She couldn't tell how they felt about her injured state, but every option that ran through her head was worse than the last.

Soon enough, she reached the bridge, where both of her remaining teammates were waiting, as well as the Interloper General. Onix looked at her with pity, but Zirconium and Pythoriax barely acknowledged her presence. "So...you let them capture Amber, did you?" said Zirconium, without even looking at Serpentine. "She was the best of us. I had expected you to better protect her."

Serpentine growled. "Look what that damn Beryl did to me!" She waved what remained of her right arm at Zirconium, indicating her facial wound with her left. "It isn't my fault I can't go toe-to-toe with an Emerald!"

"Oh, Serpentine. They're just dirty layabouts, the whole lot of them." Zirconium turned around, narrowing her sole eye at the Gem. "If you couldn't defeat a Gem whose sole purpose is to give orders from the comfort of her ship...then that's on you."

"Actually, my dear fusion," said Pythoriax, "since all three of your lackeys who have fought Emerald so far have failed, I think it's on you. You're their leader, are you not? Perhaps it's time I stepped in."

"Nobody tells my team what to do, except for me," said Zirconium. "You have your machines to order around."

"Actually, I think I _can_ tell them what to do," said the Interloper. "You're my partner, not the other way around. I'm the one who tells you what to do. Topaz and Amber were both captured, presumably to be shattered, and Serpentine here was maimed, all because of your _brilliant leadership_. How long will it be before you yourself fall to Homeworld's war machine, just like every one of you defective off-colors?"

What Pythoriax said struck a nerve with Zirconium. Her pupil shrank to a dot, as she thrust out her palm. An invisible force struck Pythoriax, holding him in the air and preventing him from moving. All the other Interlopers in the room trained their guns on the fusion.

Pythoriax laughed, straining from his immobility. "Now, don't overstep your boundaries, little Gem! Remember who pulls the strings here! You so much as scratch my finish, every gun here will reduce you to a fine powder!"

"Zirconium, I know you're upset, but please, control your temper," said Onix, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "We really don't want to make enemies of the Interlopers."

After some consideration, Zirconium sighed, releasing her psychic grip. Pythoriax fell to the ground, dusting himself off before getting to his feet. "Consider this your last warning," he huffed. "_I'm_ in control. You try something like that again...well,you know what we do to mutineers."

"Actually, I don't," Zirconium said, averting her eye.

"And for your sake, I recommend keeping it that way," Pythoriax said. "Now if you'll excuse me, we need to deal with our little intruder problem…"

* * *

_The Spire, Auragh-18._

"So, you're telling me you have no idea where that ship went?" said Onyx.

Amethyst shook her head. "None. Look, I imagine it went back to some sort of base, but after that raid on Alpus Beta, the Interlopers have been much more secretive about their bases. The only one we for sure know where it is is the Oculus, and...well, Diamonds help them if that's where they were taken."

"There has to be some way to find them!" said Onyx. She began pacing back and forth. "Okay, c'mon, think...did anyone see what direction that dreadnaught took off in? That might narrow it down a bit…"

"Yeah, to a _galaxy_!" said Amethyst. "But at least it's something, right? All we have to do is comb an entire galaxy to find them! But hey, at least it's just _one_, right?"

"Hey, I don't hear you coming up with any better plans!" Onyx countered.

"Would the both of you _please_ stop arguing!? What are we supposed to accomplish with that!?"

Bot Quartzes turned towards the source of this outburst. To their surprise, as well as that of anyone else who happened to be in the room, it had come from Tanzanite.

"Uh...you okay, Tanz?" asked Onyx.

"You know what?" replied the blue Gem. "No. For the first time in my life, I am _not_ okay. It all started when the war for Earth began. My whole life was flipped on its head. For the first time ever, it dawned on me that it was possible for Gems to disobey their superiors. And you know what? It made me nervous. But I did not bother to complain, because that would have been beyond my purpose. Then, Pink Diamond was shattered, further ruining my perception of our very race. Like that Amethyst said, If the Diamonds are not invincible, who is? But, like before, I held it in. And then the Interlopers invaded. Homeworld was pushed to its brink, Emerald, who had been one of my best friends for millenia, was turned into a monster. And now that she is back, do you not think she is different somehow?"

"Now that you mention it," said Onyx, "I guess she does seem a bit more...confrontational. Not to us, thank the stars, but she seems a bit more aggressive towards solving this whole problem. Like she's the only one who can."

Tanzanite nodded, sitting down in a chair. She seemed exhausted. "I could not do anything to help. When she was turned, when Goshenite took over, I felt so...helpless. My entire life, I have had to be the 'logical' one. I could not allow myself to be compromised by my emotions. It would go against the entire purpose of a Tanzanite. Between Emerald's confidence and your buffoonery…"

"Hey, I'm not-" Onyx said before Tanzanite interrupted.

"Yes you are!" Tanzanite snapped. "...I always had to be the one to keep everything sane. And now that Emerald is missing-_again_, I might add-you two are just sitting here, bickeingr! It's just...I've had enough. This is me. I can't hold it in any longer."

"Y'know...you could've told me," said Onyx. "I know what it's like to be worried about stuff like that."

"Could I have?" asked Tanzanite. "Or would you have considered me just another off-color, to be spurned?"

"It's different!" said Onyx. "Like Emerald. She's kinda-sorta an off-color too, but she's my friend. And so are you."

Tanzanite looked up at the larger Gem, smiling. "You are my friend, too," she said. She got to her feet. "Now, how about I use some of that logic to help us find Emerald?"

"What did you have in mind?" asked Onyx.

"None of us have any idea where the ship has gone to," she said. "Therefore, the logical solution is to ask for help. The only ones who could help us right now, busy as the Diamonds are, are the Council of Beryls."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Amethyst. "I mean, we all like Emerald, but...are the council members really going to drop everything to find her? She may be a good leader, but she's just one Gem."

"True, true," said Tanzanite. "However, many of the council members are friends with Emerald. They may not drop everything, but they will likely offer their assistance. And besides, she has likely been taken to an Interloper base. If we are able to locate her...we locate the base."

* * *

_Interloper Dreadnaught._

With no way off of the ship, Emerald and her crew's only hope was to avoid being spotted for as long as possible. She and her team of Citrines snuck through the ship, sneaking past any Interloper who they came across. They were out of their element; once spotted, they would not likely be able to fight their way out.

"So, what's the plan, Emerald?" asked Nines.

"I...I actually have no idea," whispered Emerald. "I would normally suggest finding and destroying the core, but the layout of this ship is different. Not only is it bigger, but everything's all-hold up, we got incoming!"

The small squadron of Gems ducked behind a nearby console as a massive Carnivore lumbered by, accompanied by several Predators. The Gems breathed a sigh of collective relief once the metallic behemoth had passed. Afraid of staying in the same place for too long, they resumed their trek to nowhere. It was far better than just waiting for the Interlopers to find them.

All of them nearly jumped out of cover as a loud crack rang out throughout the ship, soon realizing it was the intercom. "Ahem...Can everyone hear me? Yes? Good, good! Now then, I must bid you welcome aboard my ship, Emerald!"

"Pythoriax…" Emerald growled quietly.

"How do you like it? Quite a bit bigger than the dreadnaughts of old, yes? I call it the _Pandora's Box_. I would have been happy to give you a tour, but instead, you just invite yourself in, like an animal. Honestly, where do you Gems get it, strutting around like you own the universe?" He continued blabbing on.

"He sure loves the sound of his own voice," said a Citrine.

"I'll say," said another. "Should we take him out, My Emerald?" Emerald held up her hand, apparently listening to the Interloper's ramblings.

"...and a Femto-class superlight propulsion system! Not too shabby! But enough about me and my life, let's get back to business. You see, we've just arrived at our destination. We'll be docking in mere moments. Look out the window and see for yourself."

They did so. Indeed, the ship was hooked up to a station of some sort, almost as big as it was. It was too close to get a good view, however.

Pythoriax continued. "Anyway, I'm going to make this short. Every single entrance and exit is blocked by a large number of my troops. I highly doubt you can fight your way through all of them, and even if you can, I doubt you'll be able to survive the onslaught that will follow! So, in conclusion, I advise you to turn yourself in. I guarantee you will not be shattered, as we have a far better use for you here. So long, and I hope you make the correct choice!" The speakers turned off.

"Well, that's just great," said Nines. "You got any ideas?"

"I do," said Emerald. "Pythoriax said he had every exit blocked, right?"

"Yeah," another Citrine said.

Emerald got to her feet, feeling the walls for weak spots. "Well, why don't we see if he meant the air ducts, too?"


	14. Corvus

Chapter Fourteen: Corvus

* * *

_The bridge of the _Soul Evaporator.

"So...how close are we?" asked Onyx.

"Not far, this says we're only a few light years away," said Pearl. The pink Gem was holding on to a holoscreen that displayed a map of the galaxy, with a beacon indicating their destination: Emerald.

All out of ideas, Emerald's crew had retreated to Homeworld to ask for help retrieving their commander. Just as Amethyst had predicted, those that they had talked to seemed reluctant to help. Everybody they asked was either busy looking for suitable planets to colonize, fending off Interloper attacks, of some combination thereof. Bixbite was currently on the frontlines, Maxixe was working overtime monitoring for Interlopers, and the current Supreme Admiral was occupied with chasing down one of her stolen ships. Even Morganite, fond of Emerald as she was, couldn't do anything to aid them.

"I'm sorry, dahlings, I wish I could do more," she had told them. "I don't have any soldiers to lend you, and I'm far too busy to come myself. Perhaps you could ask Goshenite?"

Ultimately, it was Heliodor who proved to be the most helpful in their endeavor. As soon as she was told about the situation, she immediately produced a solution.

"I was worried something like this could happen," she said, "so I installed a tracker inside Emerald's exo-shell. Here." Heliodor produced a holoscreen that would allow them to learn Emerald's exact location. "This should help."

Tanzanite took the device. "Thank you, Heliodor. This will be extremely helpful in-"

"Wait."

Everyone turned towards this voice. Goshenite, the Supreme General of Homeworld, approached, accompanied by a hulking red Topaz. "G-Goshenite," said Tanzanite. "Is something wrong?"

"It is," said the white Gem. "If Emerald's gone and gotten herself captured, and you're planning on storming the Interloper stronghold, you're going to need backup. And that's where I come in."

"You're coming with us?" asked Onyx. "I woulda thought you'd be too busy with the Interlopers."

"My duty is to protect Homeworld from attack," she said. "So long as the Interlopers do not come here, I am free to do as I please. And that includes rescue missions." She looked up at her massive champion. "Are you prepared to go into battle once more, Topaz?"

The Gem in question grinned. "Made ready, My Goshenite."

And so, the two ships set off in the direction of Emerald's beacon; the _Soul Evaporator_ and the _Xenocide_. Upon reaching it, they both disengaged hyperspace. The ships halted, and the sight of a giant space station came into view. It was surrounded by Interloper ships, but something about it was familiar: namely, that it was Gem in origin.

Onyx looked out at it with shock. "That...that's a Gem research station," she said. "What business do those tin cans have holing up in one of those?"

"That isn't just any station," said Tanzanite. "That's Research Station Corvus. The same one that disappeared years ago."

"Huh," Onyx said. "Well, now we know where it went."

"What do we do here?" asked Pearl. "There's too many of them to take on."

A communication came in from the _Xenocide_. "That's what you think, little Pearl," said Goshenite. "All hands, get ready for all-out attack!"

* * *

_Aboard the _Pandora's Box.

Although neither Gems nor Interlopers needed to breathe, both of their ships contained air ducts. After all, there were far more gasses than oxygen, many of which could potentially deadly even to inorganic lifeforms. Making ships without a way to filter these out would be foolhardy at best.

Emerald crawled through the ducts, her Citrine legions close behind her. She peered out through vents, but saw nothing but Interlopers through each one. "No good; keep going, we're bound to find one eventually."

"My Emerald? How can you tell which way we're going?" asked a Citrine. "How do you know we won't just end up back in the same spot as before?"

"It's all about orienting yourself," she replied. "For example, these ducts were designed to filter out gasses that are heavier than air. We just need to keep going down, and we'll eventually reach the bottom of the ship, where we can jump to the station." She looked through another vent, and groaned. "Of course, the real hard part is finding somewhere that isn't guarded!"

This continued for a while. Just as Emerald was considering just going in guns blazing, something shook the entire station. "What in the-are we under attack?" asked Nines.

"No, I think they are," said Emerald. Indeed, alarms had begun sounding around the station, with Interlopers rushing to their battle stations. This could be their chance. After waiting to make sure no more of the robots were using this particular hallway, Emerald popped out the grate and crawled out from the vents, followed by her troops. "Come on, let's find some way to get off this...place…?"

Emerald had noticed the familiar architecture of the station. While much of it had been covered up with Interloper technology, it was unmistakably a Gem research station.

The Citrines had noticed this as well. "Emerald...you don't think this is Research Station Corvus, do you?" asked Nines.

"If it was, it would make too much sense," said Emerald. The station was then rocked by another explosion. "Come on, let's go!"

The group hurried through the halls of the station, careful to avoid being spotted by any Interlopers. Not that it was that hard; most of them seemed to be occupied with fending off the attackers.

"I hope that's the rescue party," said one of the Citrines. "Or at the very least, a Gem legion."

"It had better be!" cried Emerald. "If there's somebody else in this war that nobody told me about, I don't know what I'll do."

The group continued onward. Lining the halls were glass tanks containing samples of organic life; largely just plants and the like. Clearly, judging by how well they were being kept, the Interlopers were using this station for the same purpose as the Gems were: research on organics.

Unfortunately, the group soon ran out of luck. In their haphazard rush through the halls of the facility, they soon ran directly into a squad of Interlopers. Both teams stopped where they were at the sight of this unexpected foe, before being filled with a renewed vigor. Emerald struck first, summoning her twin blades and hacking the nearest Scavenger to bits. Her Citrines opened fire as well, but it was too late to stop them from raising the alarm. Even after Emerald had shocked the rest of them down, more were on their way.

"Hurry! This way!" shouted Emerald. She led the Quartzes down the pathways to where she was certain they would find some way of egress, but none appeared. More Interlopers blocked their path, but they were quickly either dealt with or avoided. That is, until they encountered a Carnivore.

The gigantic machine loomed over them, its cannons aiming towards them. "Shard, not this way! Back, back!" Emerald yelled. About half of the Citrines followed her, the others either continuing to run towards the Carnivore, or splitting off in another direction.

More explosions, this time from inside the station. The Carnivore had discharged its guns, smashing through the walls and floor. Emerald stumbled because of the shockwave, sending her careening down into the lower floors.

After getting her bearings, Emerald stood up. Wherever she had landed, it was noticeably darker than the upper levels. The lack of commotion led her to believe that she was alone, as well.

Something moved in the rubble near her. Emerald readied her blaster, but it was only Nines. "Don't shoot, Emerald!" she said.

Emerald sighed, putting her arm down. "Okay then, status report," she said, looking up at the light pouring in from above them.

Nines shrugged. "To be honest, I'm a bit lost myself. That Carnivore let loose, and everything just..._went_. We might be the only ones down here. Oh, hang on…" Some of the rubble moved, revealing two more Citrines. "Okay, so that makes four of us. Anyone else?"

One of the Citrines shook her head. "Doesn't look like it, Nines. Hopefully, everyone else ended up in a different hole, because if not, then they got lit up."

"Either way, we need to keep moving," Emerald said. "If this station is anything like the others I've been on, then the core is near here. We should be able to shut it off manually."

"And how would we manage that?" asked the other Citrine.

Emerald summoned one of her blades. "We break it."

Fortunately for the four of them, there weren't any Interlopers down in these lower levels. Emerald led them towards the core by memory, which was fortunately better than her memory of the upper floor layout. However, where the core should have been, there was instead something else; something far different.

"I don't understand...the core should be right here," said Emerald. "Did they move it?"

"Probably," said Nines. "Still, what is this thing?"

Not a core, the machine that was in its place was unlike anything Emerald was familiar with. The most notable feature was the multitude of long cables running down from the ceiling and into an object at the center, which couldn't be seen, as it was too dark. Whatever this object was, it seemed to be emitting some kind of hissing sound, like it was taking in and then expelling air.

"Shine some light on it," said Emerald.

The Citrines did so. The lights from their gemstones revealed the object to not only be moving, but alive. As in, an organic. The lifeform had clearly seen better days, as it was only still living due to being hooked up to a machine. Any sort of limbs it way have had had long since atrophied, and a mask had been placed over its mouth. While none of the Citrines knew what to make of it, Emerald was quite familiar with this being.

"Tenrit?"


	15. Starvation

Chapter Fifteen: Starvation

* * *

"E-Emerald...is that...is it really you?" His voice was weak, raspy, barely above a whisper. Emerald wasn't sure what to make of this. The last time she had seen Tenrit, he had sacrificed his life to destroy a research station like this one-at least, that is what she assumed had happened. And yet here he was, quite worse for wear, but nevertheless alive.

"Tenrit, what happened to you?" Emerald said softly. "How are you still alive? How did you escape from the station?"

"It is you, Emerald," Tenrit said. "After all these centuries, it...it's good to finally hear a familiar voice. One besides Pythoriax.

"Hang on, Emerald, do you know this thing?" said Nines.

"I do," Emerald said. "He helped me deal with my corruption back when the Interlopers first attacked. I...I thought he died." She turned back to the Valurian. "But even if you didn't die then, how are you still living after so long?"

"Some would argue I'm not," said Tenrit, giving a pained chuckle at this quip. "Back on Research Station Locus, after I set the core to overload, I was taken again. Some of the Interlopers took me off the station before it melted down. They took me from place to place, never letting me rest. When my body began to fail, they hooked me up to machines to make me live longer. They wouldn't let me die."

"But why?" asked Emerald. "Why did they care so much about you?"

"My knowledge. They wanted my knowledge, Emerald, about Gemkind. It's been millenia, and they've forgotten everything they knew. They needed me for everything I knew about Gemkind, all your weaknesses. That's why they were so intent on invading research stations like this one-they wanted to know everything there was to know about Gems. And they've used it to cook up the mother of all schemes."

"Can you tell us anything about their plans?" said Emerald.

Tenrit nodded, at least as best he could in his current situation. "They've used everything they learned about Gemkind to find the best way to destroy them that they could. I don't know every single detail, but here it is as I figure: in a direct confrontation, the Interlopers just don't have the firepower to defeat Homeworld in a one-on-one fight. So they've taken to cutting off their source of resources."

"Y-you don't mean…" said Emerald.

"I do, unfortunately," Tenrit continued. "They're cutting off Homeworld's resources by destroying inhabited planets."

Emerald stepped back. This was a lot to take in-not only was Tenrit still alive, but she had just learned that the Interlopers were directly responsible for Homeworld's resource crisis. "How long have they been doing this? Surely they can't be the only ones responsible?" Tenrit said nothing.

"Mister, uh, Tenrit, was it?" said Nines. "Not to get between old friends, but I imagine you've been on this station for a while. Is there anything you can tell us about the Interlopers that could help us beat them back?"

"I've learned quite a bit, but this isn't the time to tell you," he said. "We need to make sure we can get off of this station so my info doesn't go to waste. And to do that, I need your help."

"Sure, I'll help you," said Emerald. "What can I do?"

"Well, as you can see, my body hasn't exactly held up over the years," said Tenrit. "So if i'm going to get out of here, I'll need a new one."

"What, like an exo-shell, like Emerald's?" said the other Citrine.

"Sort of." Tenrit pointed his head over to a control panel on the side of the room. "Over there are the controls for...well, me. That's how I can get a new body."

Emerald walked over to this console. "What exactly am I supposed to do?" she asked.

"See, in my time here, I've learned that my knowledge about Gems is invaluable to these guys," Tenrit explained. "If I was to die of natural causes, they had a backup plan to download my entire personality into a computer. However, that alone would leave me stuck here on the station. Instead, I have another plan: see, this station also has an assembly line for constructing new Interloper bodies. If you rewire the consciousness transfer into that factory, I should be able to make a robotic body for myself."

"Are you sure?" asked Emerald. She had been doing as he described, only to find that the process was one-way. "It says here that this process will destroy your organic body. If I activate this process, there's no going back."

"I know," said Tenrit. "I've been stuck strapped to this iron lung for longer than I can remember." His gaze went soft, staring at nothing. "The years all blend together after a while. Having my mind placed in a robot may not be ideal, but...I'd rather be an unfeeling machine than keep living like this. Please, begin the process as soon as it's ready."

"Okay, if you're sure," said Emerald. She hit the final button of the procedure, but just as she did so, a loud bang echoed across the room.

"Uh, was that part of the process?" asked Nines.

"They're here," said Tenrit. "Okay, it's starting. Emerald, get out of here! I'll meet up with you later, and then I'll tell you everything I know about the Interlopers!" The wires began to disconnect from Tenrit as his body was pulled back into the wall behind him.

"Just don't get yourself killed. Again," said Emerald. "Come on, let's see if we can't meet up with Tenrit at the assembly line."

She and the Citrines took off, away from the pounding sounds. "I can't believe you of all Gems are friends with an organic!" said Nines.

"Ah, they're not so bad once you get to know them," said Emerald. "Sure, they're weird and squishy, but deep down, they're people too."

The four of them hurried down the hallways of the research station, making short work of any Interlopers they came across. That was, however, until they ran into Pythoriax himself. The general stood in the center of the hallway, flanked by a pair of Carnivores, as well as Zirconium, who stood to his side. Emerald and the others skidded to a halt as soon as they saw them, attempting to run in the other direction. Unfortunately, the other path was blocked as well, as Onix and several more Predators stood behind them.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Gem of the hour!" said Pythoriax pomposly. "You and your cronies have been causing quite a stir, haven't you? Just like you Gems to make my life so difficult!"

Emerald summoned her blades. "You again. You want to let us go, or are you looking to get cut in half again?"

"Oh, trust me, I haven't forgotten about that," growled Pythoriax. He strolled towards the Gems. Them raising their weapons was met with the Interlopers raising theirs. Onix summoned her weapon as well: from her gemstone on her lower back, she pulled an enormous underslung energy cannon, the sheer size of which made it clear that she meant business. Pythoriax continued walking, undeterred.

"As much as I would love to return the favor," the Interloper continued, "I think I have a better use for a powerful Gem such as yourself. I did say you wouldn't be shattered, didn't I? And I'm not one to break my promises…"

Pythoriax tapped on Emerald's face-screen like a child on a fishtank. In response, Emerald thrust her blade forwards, piercing through the general's chest. Before the others could fire, she threw the Interloper towards Zirconium and ran to finish him off.

However, Pythoriax came to a halt in midair before he could impact the fusion. He was then unceremoniously thrown to the side as Zirconium caught the charging Emerald in her psychic grasp.

"You," Emerald said as Zirconium held her in place. "I know who you are. You and your lackeys are traitors to Homeworld!"

"Perhaps we are," said Zirconium. "However, we had little choice. Siding with the Interlopers was our only option for freedom."

Pythoriax got to his feet, holding his wound. "You little...that's it! Forget the chamber, I'll grind you to dust with my bare hands! No, I'll feed you to that freak Serpentine! How dare you-" Pythoriax had attempted to charge at Emerald, only to be likewise caught by Zirconium.

"And now you're going back on your word?" said the fusion. "I thought we agreed that she would be of use to us."

"That was before she humiliated me!" said Pythoriax.

"Oh, please, like humiliating you is difficult," said Zirconium. In an effort to escape from her grasp, Pythoriax's back unfolded into a pair of wings. Previously unseen jet boosters strained to pull him out, eventually freeing him. He landed back on the ground, glaring at Zirconium, who returned his cold gaze.

"Very well," he said. "Take them to the reformatting chamber."

"That's more like it," said Zirconium. Before Emerald could react, the three Citrines behind her were destabilized by the Interlopers. As she was still struggling in Zirconium's psychic grip, she could do little to resist. Onix approached the helpless Beryl, and with one swing from her cannon, everything went black.

* * *

Emerald regained consciousness to the sound of ships' cannons pounding against the side of the station. Her senses returned to her as her mechanical body came back online. She looked around: she seemed to be inside a room with glass walls, accompanied by almost all of the Citrines that had accompanied her previously.

Nines got up. "What the…? Where's my blaster? Where's my _armor_?"

"My Emerald, you're awake!" said one of them. "Are you alright? Your face…"

"I'm fine," Emerald said. She lifted her hand to the side of her face, to find that a large crack ran down the side of the screen. She would have to deal with that later. "Where are we, exactly?"

"I'm not sure," the Citrine answered. "I don't know if the other research stations had a room like this…"

"They didn't," said a voice. Emerald turned to find Pythoriax staring at them through the glass like they were an exhibit."

"Not you again," Emerald said, making her way over to the glass. She fired her blasters into it, but the wall held. She slammed her fist against the glass. "What happened to shattering me?"

"Fiery as always," Pythoriax said, shaking his head. "Allow me to shed some light as to where you are...welcome to the reformatting chamber-or, as I like to call it, the rejuvenation station!"

"Wh-you're going to rejuvenate us?" said Emerald, alarmed.

"Of course!" Pythoriax said. "You see, Emerald, if my partnership with Zirconium has taught me anything, it's that the best way to destroy Gems...is with Gems. And of all the Gems I've seen, you would make the best servant, I should think!"

"Oh, is that what she is, your partner?" said Emerald. "It looked to me more like she's the one running the show."

"Don't make me laugh!" Pythoriax said. "She's nothing more than a means to an end."

"How can you be so sure about that?" asked Emerald. "Did you see the way she tossed you around like that? What's stopping her from just taking you out of commission if she feels like it?"

"Enough!" Pythoriax pounded his fist on the glass. "I am a General! I am not subservient to a lowly Gem! _You_ are the ones who obey _me_! That is your purpose! That is the entire reason you were made!"

"What do you know about why we were made?" said Emerald. "Your race just showed up out of nowhere and tried to destroy us!"

Pythoriax receded. After a short moment, quiet laughter emanated from his throat. "You really have forgotten, haven't you?" he said softly. "I knew we had, but I didn't even consider that you would as well. Don't you see?" He stepped back, his arms out to the side for emphasis. "All of this-the armies, the conquests, the vengeance-it's all to take back what's rightfully ours. You see, dear Emerald...we made you."

Silence. Emerald was certain it wasn't true, but then why did this statement hold so much weight. "No, that...that's a lie," she said. "The Diamonds made us!"

"And who do you think made the Diamonds?" asked Pythoriax. "We brought your entire species into existence. But you decided you were too good for us, and rebelled. You call us 'Interlopers,' as though we are the ones who do not belong. You took our home from us, reducing us to these mechanical husks...we, who were once the mighty Koh'i'Noor Empire, now mere refugees."

Emerald wasn't sure what to say. She had never even considered Gemkind to have been created by another race, let alone the Interlopers!

"And now, you will be the first of many to be reduced to the slaves you were always meant to be." The chamber activated: reddish-pink light filled the room as bolts of electricity the same color shot through each of the Gems. Emerald fell to her knees from the shock. "Goodbye, Emerald," said Pythoriax, walking away. "Once you awaken, I'm sure you and your friends will be much more willing to see things from my perspective…"

"M-My Emerald!" shouted one of the Citrines. "What's happening to me!?"

"He's trying to rejuvenate us!" said Emerald. "We have to break the glass!" She used everything at her disposal, blasters, blades, electricity, to break through the barrier, but nothing happened.

Emerald grew weaker and weaker. Her grasp on reality began to slip as her entire personality was deleted, regressing back to when she first emerged. Even with her exo-shell, she couldn't resist the rejuvenation. She fell to the floor, unable to even hold herself up any longer. The Citrines weren't holding up well either, all of them in varying stages of weakness. In what could very well have been her last moments of selfhood, Emerald's thoughts drifted to all of her friends, who she would never see again. Onyx...Tanzanite...Morganite..._Pearl_…

Suddenly, as quickly as it had begun, the flow of energy halted. Emerald slowly got to her feet-the process had been halted. She still had her memory!

The glass walls of the containment structure lifted, and the Gems within wasted no time exiting. None of them had broken through the glass, so someone had shut it off from the outside…

"Well, that was a close one, wasn't it?" A figure descended from the control room. A small robot, the same color and design as the Interlopers, but quite a different shape. Its most distinct features were the pair of curled horns on its head, and its yellow eyes, the exact same color as…

"Tenrit!" said Emerald with a smile. "Good to know the process was successful!"

"Oh, trust me, you have no _idea_ how good it feels to be out of there!" said the Valurian-turned-robot. "And in a custom-made body, no less! Now, what do you say we get the void out of this place?"

"I couldn't agree more," said Emerald.


	16. Broken Soldiers

Chapter Sixteen: Broken Soldiers

* * *

"Come on, the armory's down this way!" called Tenrit. The Valurian had been trapped onboard this facility for centuries, so he knew the way around it better than anyone, even if he hadn't personally walked the halls. He currently led Emerald and her Citrines down to where their weapons were being held.

As Tenrit lacked any sort of weaponry in his new robotic frame, Emerald stuck close behind him in case they ran into any Interlopers on the way there. "Wait, they have an armory?" said Nines. "I thought they had their blasters built into their bodies. What do they store in there, anyway?"

"They just call it an armory because it's where they store weapons," explained Tenrit. "And that basically means anything that they find from the Gem territories they invade. It's where we'll find your equipment."

Upon rounding a corner, the team reached the armory. Due to the station being under attack, there were no guards, and Emerald was able to slice a hole through the sealed doors. Indeed, everyone's things were inside. The Era-2 Citrines re-equipped with their armor and blasters.

"Hey, Tenrit, you got any cool features in that new body of yours?" asked Nines.

"Unfortunately, no," he said. "There were some firewalls, so I had to work quickly to make it. I'm lucky I got to customize it as much as I did!"

"In that case, you'd better take this," she said. She handed him her blaster. "Just until we get out of here, at least."

"What about you?" he said. "Wouldn't that leave you defenseless?"

"Nah, I got something else," she said. She reached down to her gem, and produced her khopesh. "Now let's go!"

"Let's go, indeed," said Emerald. Taking point, the Beryl led her troops down the halls of the station. She followed Tenrit's directions to the docking bay, hoping he would be able to hotwire an Interloper cruiser. All the while, she and her team slashed and blasted their way through any Interloper that got in their way.

On their way to the hangar, they passed by a large window to the outside. In the space just beyond the station, a fierce battle was being waged. "My Emerald, look! Out there!" shouted a Citrine. Fighting the Interloper forces and firing on the station's automated defenses were two very familiar ships.

"I don't believe it, that's the _Soul Evaporator_!" cried Emerald. "I don't know how, but it looks like the rest of the gang managed to find us! And is that the..._Xenocide_? Goshenite's here, too?"

"Heh, these metal-heads don't stand a chance now!" said Tenrit, before looking down at his new form. "Er, well, you know what I mean."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the station's upper levels, Pythoriax was not happy. "Not one, but _two_ Gem warships!?" he exclaimed. "We don't stand a chance now!" He wheeled around, returning to his ship. "The station's lost. We have to fall back." With a nod, he urged Serpentine and Zirconium to follow him.

"Hold on, we can't leave without Onix!" said Zirconium. "She's one of my best!"

"And if she is indeed one of your best, she will give us ample time to escape," said Pythoriax. He tried to continue on his path, but some invisible force blocked his way. He turned around to see Zirconium with her palm outstretched.

"Topaz was a liability, and Serpentine is replaceable." The Gem in question looked down, but hardly reacted otherwise-almost as if she was used to these comments. "I can even live with losing Amber. She was too naive for our own good. But I will _not_ abandon as great a warrior as Onix!"

"We have no choice!" shouted Pythoriax. "Those warships are going to tear this whole station apart with or without us!" He turned towards Serpentine. "You, the cannibal! Even you have to admit our odds are terrible, yes?" When she refused to comment, he added "Unless you think you can take Emerald in a rematch?"

Serpentine pondered for a moment. "He's right," she said to Zirconium. "This place is finished. Onix knew what she was getting into when she went to go fight them."

Reluctantly, Zirconium released her hold. "Fine," she snarled, walking past Pythoriax. She leaned down to add "But next time, _I_ decide the fate of my clanmates. Understood?" With that, she made her way onboard the _Pandora's Box_. Serpentine followed.

Pythoriax glared at Zirconium as she left, not uttering a word. Then, as he glanced at Serpentine, something crossed his mind. He walked after them onto his flagship.

* * *

"Come on, they've gotta be around here somewhere!" shouted Onyx, leading a team of Citrines of her own. The squadron bulldozed through the Interlopers guarding the station as they combed it in search of their missing commander. Onyx herself crushed swathes of Scavengers with her rocket-powered hammer.

Soon enough, one of the Citrines spotted her. "Eyes on Emerald, two o'clock!" she said.

"Aha! Good spot, R4X!" said Onyx. "Cover me while I make contact!" By 'making contact,' Onyx meant running over to the catwalk, and calling out to the other team. "Yo, Mera! We found you!"

On the lower level of that same room, Emerald looked up at the source of this call. "Onyx!" she called back. "Glad to see you brought the cavalry! How did you find us, anyway?"

"I'll explain later," said the black Quartz. "Right now, we gotta focus on getting back to the _Soul_! Dropships are back at Bay 9, we'll meet you there!"

"Bay 9, that's just a few rooms away!" Tenrit informed Emerald inbetween firing his blaster at incoming Interlopers. "You clear a path, I'll lead the way!"

"Hmm, who's that?" Onyx mumbled to herself. "Looks familiar somehow…"

"Onyx?" said a Citrine. "Don't look now, but I think we've got company!"

Onyx looked up, expecting to see a Carnivore or some such threat, but was instead greeted by the sight of another Onyx, this one quite off-colored. This was the same Gem Emerald had shown her, which she had dubbed 'Onix.' This rival Quartz held a massive blaster in her hands, aiming it directly at Onyx's group.

"Incoming!" yelled Onyx as a large bolt of plasma was hurled from Onix's cannon. The resulting blast destroyed the catwalk they were standing on. The Citrines caught in the blast that weren't destabilized fell down to the levels below. Onyx herself had avoided the projectile, but wasn't about to run away from another one. She charged the enemy Gem, leaping from her level and tackling her just as she was about to fire again.

Both Onyxes smashed through a door in a heap, ending up in a separate hallway. The two of them quickly scrambled to their feet and began grappling. Despite Onix's frail appearance, she was just as strong as her foe. Likewise, her cloudy eyes did not necessarily indicate poor eyesight, as she was able to dodge quite a few of Onyx's blows.

"You and your posse ain't getting out of this one!" said Onyx. "No way you can fight off all of us!"

"I know that," said Onix. "We have no hope of defeating you at this time. I am merely providing a distraction so they can escape."

"You little…!" Onyx redrew her hammer, swinging it down onto Onix's head. Before it could hit, Onix drew her cannon, using it to block the weapon.

"It didn't have to come to this," said Onix, as she struggled against Onyx.

"You just keep telling yourself that," said Onyx, pulling her hammer back to swing again. This, too, was blocked by Onix's cannon. "And you off-colors always wonder why you're so persecuted. It's because Gems like _you_ are always trying to make life harder for rule-following Gems like us!"

"We only want to survive!" said Onix, pushing Onyx's hammer to the side. A momentary lull appeared in their fight. She continued. "I gave centuries of my loyalty to Homeworld, and what do I get for it? I'm cast underground, forced to hide under penalty of shattering! All because of what my own Gems made me out to be."

"But siding with the Interlopers?" said Onyx. She swung her hammer again, but Onix was prepared. She parried it off of her cannon, sending it against the wall. "Doesn't that seem like you're going a bit too far?"

"I do," Onix replied. "If I was given a choice, I would never have done it, swear on my life. But Homeworld would not give us a choice." She ducked another of Onyx's swings. "Don't you see? All we want is to be treated fairly!"

"Some of Onix's words were starting to sound pretty sensible to Onyx. "Shut up! What do you know about fair treatment?"

"Are you so blinded by your stigmas that you are deaf as well!?" exclaimed Onix, dropping her guard. Normally, Onyx would have taken advantage of this, but something about her demeanor made her stop and listen. "As I said, I used to be respected! I was a great warrior and a noble captain, respected by subordinates and superiors alike. I fought in many battles, even in the Earth War. The more I fought, the more my gem was damaged. But where any other Gem would have been shattered, I persevered! My gemstone held together with nothing but force of will, my physical form became scarred. And though I fought harder than ever, all the others could see was what I was, no longer what I did. And I was ostracised for it, and eventually, I would have been shattered."

Onyx had been listening intently. She had even lowered her hammer, something she had never done during a battle. "It can't be...what's your designation?"

"Onyx, Facet LM96 Cut P7K," said Onix.

"P7K..." Onyx said. "C-captain?"

"Hmm?" said Onix.

"I-it's me, P7J," said Onyx. "You probably don't remember me...all this time, I thought you had been shattered!"

"P7J?" said Onix inquisitively. "It was long ago, but I believe I recall-"

Onix was cut off when a barrage of lasers suddenly were poured into her back. She recoiled, holding up her arm to block the blasts. A bunch of Citrines, from both Emerald's and Onyx's group, had rendezvoused, and were laying into the off-colored Onyx. She lifted up her cannon to return fire. Onyx herself didn't move, almost as though she was in a stupor.

Emerald made an appearance, bounding towards Onix. Onix was prepared to fire her cannon, but Emerald disrupted her aim with a slash to the arm. The cannon fired a blast which collided harmlessly with a distant wall.

Onix swung her cannon at Emerald like a club, preventing her from getting closer. "Onyx, what are you doing!?" yelled Emerald. As her own blasters would be ineffective against the Quartz, Emerald instead discharged a stream of electricity into her. Onix was stunned, but still holding on. "Onyx, take the shot!"

Onyx was still not moving. "Well, cadet?" said Onix, strained. This roused Onyx out of her trancelike state. "Do what your commander tells you!"

Reluctantly, Onyx swung her hammer at full force. As soon as the weapon collided with Onix, her physical form dissipated. Her gem, which looked as though it had been shattered and stuck back together several times over, clattered to the floor. Onyx reached down gingerly to pick it up.

"Nice work," said Emerald. "But what was all that about?"

"I'll explain later," she said, before handing the gem to Emerald. "Here. You wanna do the honors?" Emerald took the gemstone, placing it a bubble and sending it away to join her fellows.

"That was a real headache," said Nines. "But anyway, it looks like we took care of the rest of 'em."

"How can you tell?" said Emerald.

"Because Pythoriax's flagship took off," said Tenrit. "My guess is they're headed back to their hideout."

"So, uh, who's the 'bot?" asked Onyx. "And why does he have horns?"

"Well," said Emerald. "Long story short...you remember Tenrit, right? From Valuris?"

"Vaguely," said Onyx. "I might need a few reminders, though."

"So, Tenrit," said Nines. "You said Pythoriax is headed back to base. You wouldn't happen to know where that base is, though, would you?"

"Not for certain, but I have a theory," he said. "And strap in, because you won't like the answer."

"Consider us strapped," said Emerald.

"Well...if my intel is correct, Pythoriax's whole operation has been operating from out of a Gem colony, with the locals none the wiser."

"The Interlopers working right under our noses!" exclaimed Onyx. "Let me guess: Auragh-18?"

"No, an already-existing colony," said Tenrit. "I think it's called 'Modius,' or something like that."

Emerald's face went slightly pale. "You mean Moridius?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Tenrit said.

"You okay, Mera?" said Onyx. "Is something wrong with Moridius?"

"No, it's just that...Moridius is where I was formed."


	17. Us and Them

Chapter Seventeen: Us and Them

* * *

_Bridge of the_ Soul Evaporator.

After launching their attack on Research Station Corvus, the Gem battleships had completely purged the station of Interloper forces. However, the station itself had been so utterly gutted by them that it was unusable for its original purpose, at least by anyone other than them. Upon being told of the Interlopers' possible presence on Moridius, Goshenite urged Emerald to take care of it.

"Don't worry about this," she told her. "I'll handle cleanup, you go investigate."

"If you say so," said Emerald. And so, Emerald and all the rest of her crew, plus Tenrit and a few of Amethyst's Citrines, boarded the _Soul Evaporator_. Speaking of Amethyst, Emerald's first action upon reaching the bridge was to send a transmission to Auragh-18 to contact her.

While waiting for Amethyst to respond, Emerald was greeted by her crew members who had missed her, most notably Pearl and Tanzanite. Emerald emphatically greeted the two of them. While she expected Pearl to be sentimental like this, Tanzanite's excitement was much more surprising. What had changed since she had been taken?

Amethyst received the message. "Well, look who's still alive!" she exclaimed. "When that ship took off, I assumed the worst. Glad to see you're still in one piece!"

"Glad to still _be_ in one piece," Emerald responded. "Everything's been really chaotic over on my end, so I'll give you the shortened version: we fought off the Interlopers for now, but we believe that they're holed up on Moridius." She left the part out about Interlopers having allegedly created the Gems. She wasn't sure others were ready to hear this quite yet.

"Moridius, eh?" said Amethyst. "Huh, you'd think someone would've noticed them by now. Well, if that's where they are, you'd better go after them!"

"That's the plan," said Emerald. "Should we stop by first to bring back your soldiers?"

"Tempting as that is, something tells me you'll need them more," Amethyst said. "Consider this a temporary loan. Diamondspeed, Emerald. Amethyst out." The transmission ended.

"All right, I guess this means we get to spend some more time together!" said Nines. "It's my pleasure to serve you, _My_ Emerald."

Emerald grinned slightly. "Alright, alright, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We don't even know if Tenrit's info is accurate."

"I mean, I'm pretty sure it is," he piped up. "When you're stuck basically being a living database with nothing to do but listen in on others' conversations, you have quite a bit of free time for fact-checking."

"If you have acquired that much information on the Interlopers over all this time, I advise you to share it with us," said Tanzanite. "It will likely prove indispensable towards halting their operations."

"You did say you would," said Nines. "We've got a while before we get to Moridius, so why not tell us the stories?"

With confirmation from Emerald, Tenrit agreed to tell them everything he had heard. "Okay, where to begin...how about at the beginning? So, the Interlopers don't call themselves 'the Interlopers.' It's pretty obvious in hindsight, but oh well. No, they refer to each other as the-"

"The Koh'i'Noor," said Emerald.

"Yes, exactly," Tenrit said. "So, then, you know that…?"

Emerald nodded. "What? Know what?" asked Pearl.

"I'll tell you later, Pearl," said Emerald. "Tenrit, could you tell us a little bit more about what the Interlopers are planning currently?"

"Right, of course," said Tenrit. "As I mentioned before, the reason they were so interested in research stations, as well as myself, was because they wanted to learn more about Gems. Despite...knowing quite a bit in the past, they had since forgotten. With the information they found, they started working on new technologies, new ways to better facilitate their annihilation of Gemkind."

"And what did they find, exactly?" asked Onyx.

"Oh, tons," continued Tenrit. "For example, they figured out how to use this thing called 'geo-transference' to absorb the powers of Gems. But I think the most important one they found was 'bio-venom.'"

"Uh...is that at all related to bio-poison?" Nines asked.

Tenrit nodded. "As you may or may not know, Research Station Corvus was a pretty big manufacturer of bio-poison before the Interlopers took over. But now, with it gone, much of that production has been moved to Moridius. This was exactly Pythoriax's plan; to move it somewhere they could sneak in and take over without much notice, to manufacture bio-venom instead of bio-poison.

"You still haven't explained what bio-venom is," said Emerald. "I feel like that's pretty important to this story."

"I was getting to that," said Tenrit. "So, they reversed bio-venom from bio-poison. Unlike the latter, it's incredibly volatile and dangerous. While bio-poison is an inert pink goop used to thin out organic presence on a planet, bio-venom destroys it completely. It looks like this thick black smoke that eats through anything organic in seconds. And it spreads fast, too. Just a few decaliters can strip an entire planet clean of biotic life in under a day."

"And if it leaves nothing behind, then the planet would be unfit for colonization," Emerald said, the sheer gravity of the situation dawning on her.

"Exactly." Tenrit continued. "You see, they know they can't beat Gems in a one-on-one fight, so they're trying to starve them out. Their mission now is to destroy, or at least clear out, every colonizable planet they can find. They've been doing this for, I dunno, millennia now. Since before the Earth War."

"Wait, do you mean...the Interlopers are responsible for the entire research crisis?" said Onyx. "Even-even before we made contact?"

"I'm afraid so," said Tenrit. "Their original methods were to hurl asteroids at inhabited planets to wipe out the locals. But after that method didn't work too well, they tried to find something else. Hence, bio-venom. If this stuff is allowed to be produced in bulk...there isn't much we'll be able to do. The devastation that this stuff can do is unheard of; we won't stand a chance."

"Why do you phrase your statement as 'we?'" asked Tanzanite. "Do you consider yourself a Homeworld Gem now?"

"Well, I'm certainly helping you guys now," he said. "Besides, most of my planet now is...well, it's been so long. I probably wouldn't even recognize the place now." Tenrit looked troubled for a moment, but quickly bounced back. "But yes, I do consider myself on your team, at least!"

"I can't believe those off-colored freaks!" said Nines. "How could they team up with these monsters!? How could they betray their own home!?"

"Nobody really knows how off-colors work," said Emerald. "There's no telling why they thought this was a good idea."

"Uh, Emerald?" said Onyx quietly. "Weren't you considered an off-color when you first emerged? I would have thought if any Gem had some insight into how they work, it'd be you."

Emerald turned towards the black Gem. "Onyx, what's the matter?" she asked. "Usually you'd be siding with Nines on a matter like this. I thought you hated off-colors."

"Well, 'hate' is a strong word. But yes, I didn't really find them...agreeable. But that was before I knew that they, y'know, were just Gems."

Emerald shook her head, surprised at Onyx's seeming complete one-eighty. "Surely you don't mean you sympathize with these traitors," she said.

"Maybe not all of them, but they do have a point," Onyx said, still speaking softly. "The one we just fought, Onix...I knew her. I knew her before she became an off-color. She was my captain before I joined your unit. I-I always looked up to her. And if she can become an off-color...who's to say anyone can't?"

"Onyx, please, listen to yourself!" said Emerald. "We need to focus on the mission, and this rambling isn't helping us."

"Um, My Emerald?" said Pearl. "Didn't you tell me once that some Gems have it rough? You were talking about off-colors, right?"

"That was then, this is now," Emerald grumbled. "Back then, I didn't realize they were capable of such treachery."

A sigh came from Tanzanite's direction. "And we are back to arguing…" she said.

"What was that, Tanzanite?" said Emerald.

"I said we are arguing again!" said Tanzanite, more upset than Emerald had seen her before. And Emerald had never seen her get emotional at all, let alone upset. "Do you know who has insight into how an off-color feels? I do. Because, while I may not be one, I know what it is like to be persecuted by Homeworld."

"What? _You_?" asked Nines in disbelief.

"Hang on, let her finish," said Onyx.

"Tanzanites are not supposed to feel, they are supposed to be logical," she continued. "So that is all I have been, holding in my feelings for the sake of our missions. But I still felt. Every time I felt afraid, or sad, or angry, or even happy, I had to hold it in. But I cannot do that anymore." Small beads formed in the corners of her eyes. "My Emerald...you have always been one of my greatest friends. I always admired you, not because of your tactical abilities, but because of your ability to care. You cared for Pearl when you first found her, you cared for me when I came to you broken and alone, you even cared for your enemies, like the Crystal Gems. So...what is different now?"

Emerald was silent for quite some time. Slowly, she made her way over to Tanzanite. She wrapped her arms around the blue Gem, who was unable to hold her emotions in any further. The small tears that stung her eyes became full-on weeping as Emerald embraced her.

"You're right," said Emerald. "I guess I just got so caught up in this war, I...I forgot about those around me." She gestured towards Pearl and Onyx, who joined them in a group hug. Tenrit and Nines then walked over to join them as well. "My hatred for the Interlopers became stronger than my love for my friends. But no more." She broke off from the hug. "Once we get to Moridius, we'll stop them. Together. And then, once the Interlopers are dealt with...we'll fix things at home."

"How do you mean?" said Tenrit.

"Tanzanite's right," Emerald said. "I should have cared more. It's time I spread some of that care to those who don't get enough of it. Starting with off-colors."

"That's certainly noble of you," said Nines, "but somehow I doubt everyone else will be so willing to go along with that plan."

"Then we'll do it in secret," said Emerald. "Like Serpentine said, I'm part of the problem. So I'll have to do what I can to lessen that problem.

"Excuse me, My Emerald?" said Tanzanite. "We have arrived."

The _Soul Evaporator_ disengaged warp, emerging in front of the Gem colony Moridius. From orbit, the planet appeared almost entirely blue, covered mostly in water.

Emerald stared down at the familiar sight. "Moridius. I'm back, after all this time."


	18. Moridius

Chapter Eighteen: Moridius

* * *

_Low orbit over Moridius._

Due to unforeseen events during the original colonization events of Moridius, much of the Kindergartens were flooded before the Gems could emerge. In fact, much of the whole planet was flooded: roughly ninety-five percent of Moridius' surface was covered in ocean. The few Kindergartens that survived had just happened to be located at higher altitudes when the initial flooding occurred. Most, if not all, of Gem structures on the planet were on artificial islands, including the Reef, one of the busiest and most popular Pearleries in the four galaxies.

With the _Soul Evaporator_ docked at an orbital shipyard, Emerald briefed her crew on her plan. "Here's what's going to happen: we don't know where the Interlopers made their base, so we're at a disadvantage. Tanzanite, I want you to take Pearl to the Reef to keep her out of harm's way."

"But, My Emerald, I can help!" said Pearl.

Emerald embraced her. "I know you can, Pearl, but this is going to be dangerous. I don't know if I'd be able to live with myself if anything happened to you because of me. It'll be much safer at the Reef. And think of all the neat things you'll see there! And you can meet other Pearls, too!"

"Mmhmm," said Pearl, nodding. Her voice was less than enthused.

"Tanzanite, stay down there with her," she continued. "Take her back to the ship if the Interlopers attack."

"Understood, My Emerald," Tanzanite said.

"Everyone else, with me," said Emerald. "We'll head down to the Central Spire to rendezvous with the planet's higher-ups, so we can search for the bio-venom factory." The rest of her crew voiced their understanding. "Right. Move out."

This is when the group split off into two. Emerald, Onyx, Nines, Tenrit, and all the rest warped directly to the Central Spire, while Tanzanite and Pearl went to the Reef.

* * *

_The Reef._

The two Gems stepped off from the warp pad into the facility proper. Here, Pearls were made, maintained, and distributed to high-ranking Gems all across the empire. As soon as they walked closer, a pleasant voice greeted them through the speakers.

"Hello, and welcome to the Reef! My name is Shell, and I will be your guide during your time here at Homeworld's premier Pearlery. Down the main hall, you will find…"

Tanzanite paid little attention to Shell as she and Pearl walked into the facility. Plenty of Gems were already present, many of them accompanied by their Pearls. Most of them were quite lavish and fancy, browsing the latest baubles and accessories for their companions.

Pearl was quite nervous, shyly hoping she would not be approached by anyone. Tanzanite was not faring much better-she was wondering if anyone would confront her about this Pearl by her side, which Gems of her type were forbidden to own.

"So, Miss Tanzanite, what are we supposed to do down here?" Pearl asked. "Just wait for My Emerald to finish her mission?"

"That is indeed the plan," answered Tanzanite. "We must stay here until it is safe to return. Those were Emerald's orders."

Silently, Pearl glanced around at the trinkets on display around the room. At any other time, such pretty things would have held her interest for far longer. But now, when the empire was gripped by crisis, especially to be so close to the cause, being here felt empty. As though this place was deliberately trying to distract her from the more pressing matters. And yet, at the same time...who was a Pearl to deal with such matters at all?

"Just a moment! What are you doing out of your display?" Pearl looked up to see a Bazzite approaching her. White, and wearing a long dress halfway between casual and fancy, the Gem had a matronly look about her, were it not for her serious expression. While technically Beryls, Bazzites were considered lower on the hierarchy die to their purpose, which was seen as lowly: creating and caring for Pearls.

"I don't have a display, miss," Pearl answered. "I'm just visiting here on My Emerald's orders. Miss Tanzanite here is accompanying me."

"It is true," said Tanzanite. "My Emerald is conducting business elsewhere on-world, and has asked me to look after her Pearl by taking her here."

Almost immediately, the Bazzite's expression lightened. "Ah, I see! In that case, how would you like to try out our latest polishing procedure? Just a few minutes in our spa, and you'll feel like a new Gem!"

"That sounds lovely!" said Pearl. "Yes, please!"

The Bazzite, however, was not listening to her, instead waiting for an answer from Tanzanite. "Yes, that sounds lovely indeed," Tanzanite said. With that, Pearl was indicated to follow Bazzite down the hallways.

As they walked towards their destination, Pearl saw several other Pearls standing, almost unmoving, upon pedestals lining the hallway. One of them was in a particularly difficult-looking ballerina stance, which she was struggling to maintain. Another Bazzite nudged her limbs back into place when they drooped. "Honestly! Do try harder to hold still. You'll never find an owner fidgeting like that!"

"Sorry, miss," said the Pearl meekly, "I'm trying my best."

A little bit further down, she was greeted by another Goshenite browsing a selection of white Pearls, matching her own countenance. Her gaze never met theirs, as she regarded them with no more care than one would a simple piece of furniture. Making matters worse, she already had a Pearl by her side. Given by her nervous expression and wringing of her hands, this Pearl was quite aware what it meant for her: her master was seeking a replacement. Not that she bothered to hide this fact.

"Here we are!" said Bazzite. "This is where you will receive your luxurious treatment." She leaned in closer. "I'm not supposed to say this, but it's reserved for only the fanciest of Pearls!"

"Enjoy, Pearl," said Tanzanite. "I will wait for you here." Pearl nodded, as she entered the spa room. It certainly did look enjoyable-the Pearls within sure seemed to think so. She looked forward to it, but at the same time, she couldn't shake a nagging feeling from the back of her mind. She was happy with Emerald, but how many Pearls out there did not have such a kind and loving owner? She tried to put the thought out of her head as she readied herself for treatment.

* * *

_The Central Spire_.

Emerald was first to step off from the warp pad. She walked towards the Spire in a businesslike manner, with Tenrit having to speed-walk to catch up to her. "Uh Emerald, I was just wondering what I should be doing. I mean, I don't exactly blend in in a place like this, you know."

"Right," Emerald replied. "Tenrit, I'll need you to keep a low profile. Stay in the group, preferably hidden, and try not to draw too much attention to yourself. The last thing we need right now are these Gems asking more questions than they already will."

"Out of sight, you got it," Tenrit said, retreating back amongst the team of Citrines. He did his best to keep hidden from the Gems they passed by, which only proved to draw their attention further. After all, the only thing odder than a horned robot was a horned robot dancing around like a spy in a b-movie.

"Alright, alright, you're gonna have to stop doing that," said Nines. "Please, at least try and pretend you belong here."

"Trust me, if there's anywhere I belong, it _is_ here," Tenrit said, walking more casually. "If it wasn't under more pressing circumstances, I would be absolutely gushing about being on an actual Gem colony!"

"Heh, it kind of sounds like you are," Nines said. "You know, for an organic, you're not so bad."

"Well hey, thanks," said Tenrit. "That means quite a bit, coming from a Quartz."

Citrine chuckled. "Wow, you really are nuts. You like Gems more than most Gems do!"

"Oh, yeah, I'm what you'd call a fanatic," said Tenrit. "Got a couple of weird looks for that back home. But that's what got me through all those thousands of years hooked up to a machine. All that knowledge flowing through my head...it could get a bit overwhelming at times. But I'm just glad it's over now."

"Well, hopefully, all that knowledge could help our case," said Nines. Emerald had arrived at the Spire. If she was going to go looking for the Interloper's base, she would have to convince the planet's leadership first.

* * *

_The_ Pandora's Box.

Alone in his private chambers, Pythoriax sat fuming. The last few weeks had not been going in his favor. Not only had that bothersome Emerald returned; not only had his allies proven ineffective at dealing with this; but above all, he was furious at Zirconium. That filthy war machine had muscled her way in front of his control. It was almost as if she aimed to usurp him. He was not strong enough to defeat her if she tried. He could not allow that to happen.

He activated the speakers, making sure to isolate them away from Zirconium. "Serpentine, I need to see you immediately," he said.

After a few moments of waiting, the reptilian Gem entered his chambers. "What's this about?" she said. "Shouldn't you be talking to Zirconium instead?"

"No, my dear Serpentine, I wanted to speak to you," Pythoriax drawled as he strolled around the room. "You see, I have-shall we say-a proposition for you."

"And what did you have in mind?" she asked.

"It's about a mutual enemy of ours, Emerald," said Pythoriax. "Ah, I can see the hesitation in your eyes. Are you afraid to face her again?"

"Not afraid, just hesitant," Serpentine insisted. "She's too powerful. I don't think I could beat her on my own."

"Well...what if I told you, I have a way for you to attain your revenge by proxy? A way to defeat her without fighting her yourself?"

"I'd say you were insane," Serpentine said. "Whatever you're planning, I couldn't care less. Talk to Zirconium, not me, I-"

"Zirconium is NOT IN CHARGE!" Pythoriax all but screamed, losing his cool for what seemed like the first time ever. Serpentine visibly recoiled from this outburst. The Interloper general positioned himself to be between the Gem and the door. "She does not possess sole command of this movement. _I_ do! I am the one chosen by the Primax to retake what is rightfully ours! You, Zirconium, all your fallen friends, nothing more than tools to be commanded! And I, none but I, can command you! You obey me! You are subservient!"

"Alright, enough of this!" said Serpentine. She summoned her claws, preparing to remove this Interloper by force. "Get out of my way before I slice you to scrap."

Pythoriax just laughed. His hollow, vicious mirth echoed off the halls around him. "Insubordinate _insect_!" he snapped. "I will show you your place!" Serpentine made good on her promise, charging at the general. Before she could reach him, however, Pythoriax revealed his secret weapon. He produced a Gem destabilizer from a hidden compartment, thrusting the tines into Serpentine's chest. The Gem screamed as yellow energy surged through her physical form, until it was destroyed, her gemstone clattering to the floor.

Pythoriax continued to laugh. "Just as it was meant to be!" he said, lifting the gem off of the ground. "I on top, you below." Pythoriax's chest opened up, revealing a slot beneath his core, the perfect size for a gem such as this. He inserted the knife-shaped stone into this slot; almost instantly, glowing green energy began to flow through his circuits, visible from the outside as glowing lights. He cackled, summoning Serpentine's claws onto his hands as his jets pulled him into the air.

"EMERALD!" he screamed, echoing down the halls. "I'M COMING FOR YOU!"


	19. Invaded

Chapter Nineteen: Invaded

* * *

_The Central Spire_.

Upon meeting up with the local leadership of Moridius, Emerald had tried to explain her current situation to them. They were quite a bit skeptical that the Interlopers had somehow managed to infiltrate their planet and repurpose the bio-poison foundry into one of their own bases. Emerald's current status as an ex-Supreme Admiral using a mechanical body didn't lend her any credibility in their eyes.

"Now, Emerald," said a Sapphire, "I appreciate your dedication to the cause. But to make such bold claims without evidence...you'll forgive me if I'm not exactly convinced."

"Look, I don't see what's so hard about this!" said Emerald. "Surely you could just get someone from down at the foundry to report back? Wouldn't they tell you if something is wrong?"

"We already receive periodic reports from the foundry," said the Sapphire. "Nothing out of the ordinary has been reported within the last several years."

"Hmm. May I look at these reports?" asked Emerald.

The Sapphire took a moment to debate with her fellows. After a bit, they decided to allow her this courtesy. A Peridot handed Emerald the files containing these reports.

"'Situation normal. Nothing to report,'" Emerald read. "That's all it says?" She looked further back. Every single report for several years read the exact same thing. No deviation, always the same sentence. 'Situation normal. Nothing to report.' "Don't you think this is a bit suspicious? Everything going _too_ well?"

"Nothing can ever go _too_ well!" said a different Sapphire. "Emerald, if you want to convince us, it will take more than this."

"Okay, fine, how about this?" Emerald said. She grabbed Tenrit, pulling him up front next to her.

"Huh? What happened to low profile?" he said.

"This is Tenrit," Emerald explained. "He was captured by the Interlopers millenia ago, and used as a receptacle of information. His knowledge is what allowed me to discover this infiltration in the first place.

"Is that...an organic?" asked Sapphire, the disdain in her voice clear.

"I am," said Tenrit. "Or, well, I was. I-I uploaded my mind into this body because mine got all...y'know...but then-actually, do you know? Not calling you ignorant, but if you didn't know, organic bodies...okay, I'm sorry, I'm rambling. I've just never met a Sapphire in real life, so I'm a bit excited."

Said Sapphire only stared at him. "You expect us to cease production of one of our most valuable commodities, and prepare for battle on the word of this...this thing?" she said to Emerald.

"What more do you want?" said Tenrit. "Look, I may be an organic, but I know my stuff! Believe it or not, the Interlopers are using this bio-venom to eliminate potential colonies from your roster. That's why they infiltrated this foundry. You pop open a container, thinking it's full of bio-poison, and then poof-the planet's a dud."

"That must be why they brought those vines to Auragh," said Onyx. "To give them a reason to need the bio-poison."

"If that was true, why would they not simply bombard the planet with the containers themselves?" one of the Sapphires asked.

"That stuff's super destructive to organic life, but it's also super flammable," Tenrit explained. If they dropped it from orbit, or of a Gem shot it, it would explode like fossil fuel. It's too volatile to use as a weapon, so they need to be sneaky with it."

"You expect us to believe this?" sneered a Sapphire. "You'll need something more than the word of an organic to convince us!"

For the last few seconds, the sounds of a commotion could be heard outside. Everyone ignored it, brushing it off as something inconsequential. However, it was at this moment that a Ruby guard burst into the room. "My Clarities! W-we're under attack! The Interlopers are here!"

"What!?" shouted the lead Sapphire. "You did this!" she snapped at Emerald. "If you hadn't been distracting me with your insane theories, I would have seen this coming!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" Emerald huffed. She was the first to exit the room, followed by her troops. "Hmmph. This place is far less welcoming than I had expected…"

Outside, they say that the planet was indeed under attack. That all-too-familiar dreadnought, the _Pandora's Box_, had made its way into Moridius' atmosphere. The eight other battleships attached to it had disengaged, moving in to combat formation.

"Huh," said Nines. "For Sapphires, they aren't very good at seeing the future."

* * *

_The Reef_.

On the other side of the planet, Pearl was faring much better than Emerald. The spa procedure was going wonderfully. A hot bath, hot coal massage, gemstone polishing-she felt like a new Gem!

"My Emerald could really use some treatment like this," Pearl said, as one of the Bazzites polished her gem. "She works so hard, she could really use a break!"

"Oh, I hear ya, sister!" said a light green Pearl to her side. "Yeah, My Jade's a real workaholic too. I keep tellin' her 'My Jade, you work so hard! You should take a break!' But does she listen to me? No, of course not. 'Cause I'm 'just a Pearl!'"

"You two, too?" said another Pearl, this one baby blue. "My Sapphire is always focusing on her work. I tell her to relax, and she always blows me off. Why, I get the feeling she sent me here just to get me out of her hair!"

"Sounds like this is pretty common," said Pearl. "I guess nowadays, with-Eek, careful!" The Bazzite had accidentally slipped the polisher off her gem and onto her belly, tickling Pearl. "Anyways," she continued, "looks like we're three Pearls in a string. Literally!"

"Honey, that's just the start of it!" said the green Pearl. "One of my friends feels the same way. I'd wager to guess that pretty much every Pearl feels the same way as us three!"

"Well...the ones that are happy with their situation," the blue Pearl said. All three Pearls silently nodded, recognizing that they were lucky to have it as good as they did.

"Hey...where did everybody go?" said Pearl. Indeed, the Bazzites had mysteriously vanished, leaving the Pearls alone.

"What's happening?" asked a black Pearl. "Just as this was getting good!"

Pearl made to step out to figure out what was happening, only for a Bazzite to barge in, almost knocking her over. "Okay, everyone, there's a slight situation going on," she said. Her voice sounded calm, but it was clear she was struggling to hide her concern. This situation was clearly not 'slight.' "We'll continue this later. For now, we have to leave. Everyone follow me, and stay close together."

"What's happening, miss?" asked the blue Pearl.

"Never you mind," Bazzite said quickly. "Single file, now. Stay close to me."

While not quite pandemonium, the rest of the Reef was clearly aware that something bad was happening. Gems crowded together, desperate to get to the warp pad to leave this place behind. The Pearls, however, were being ushered into the sub-levels. Pearl was among them, her and the others undergoing treatment were all being pushed by the crowd.

Out of the corner of her eye, Pearl saw a glimpse of a monitor, showing something quite troubling. A fleet of Interloper ships was approaching, gathering around the Central Spire. "Emerald…" Pearl said quietly.

"Pearl! Pearl!" She turned. It was Tanzanite. The blue Gem was trying to reach her, but the crowd was too dense. Both of them were being pushed in opposite directions. Both tried to push towards the other, but it was no use.

"Tanzanite!" said Pearl. "I'll be okay, just go protect Emerald!"

"But my orders were to keep you safe!" said Tanzanite. "Pearl!" But the crowd had separated the two of them. Tanzanite couldn't even see the pink Gem in the sea of colors. She broke off from the crowd, standing close to the wall as all the other Gems passed by.

Tanzanite looked up at the monitor showing the impending invasion. Emerald's orders had been to protect Pearl-but Pearl was safe. It was Emerald herself that was in danger. She stood up, steeling herself as she made her way to the warp pad. Once it was her turn, she returned to the _Soul Evaporator_.

Upon arriving at the bridge, Tanzanite looked around. The Interloper ships weren't visible from orbit, so they must have already gotten to the Spire. So she would have to go to them. The blue Gem focused all her energy, holding her arms close to her chest. With all her might, she threw her arms out to the side; her fingers extended into long tendrils that spread across the controls all over the bridge. Many more tendrils extended as well, working their way into every single console on the bridge. Tanzanite was going to control the entire ship on her own.

Data surged through her, her eyes alight with ones and zeroes. "Alright," said Tanzanite, straining from the mental effort. "Let's begin."

* * *

_The_ Pandora's Box.

Pythoriax stared down at the planet below, his gaze filled with hate. "They've tracked our production of bio-venom to this planet," he said. "We'll have to stop them before they destroy it, even if that requires obliterating everything in sight."

Zirconium stood behind him. "Right. I'll go down and take care of their defenses. Then we can move in. Where's Serpentine? I need her for this mission."

"Oh, I already have her working on a special assignment," Pythoriax said. "Don't worry, I've sent backup for you."

"What? What did I tell you about-" As Zirconium approached to confront the Interloper general, he held up his hand, one of Serpentine's claws materializing on the appendage, stopping the fusion before she could get any closer.

"Not so fast," he said. "I call the shots here, remember?"

"You...what did you do!?" Zirconium tried to grab Pythoriax in her psychic grip, but the Interloper simply activated his jets, shaking off her grasp. He rocketed towards her, pinning her against the wall with his free hand.

"I told you, you are all subservient," he said, the venom in his voice clear. "You exist only to serve me, and nothing more. If I wish to harness your power for my own means, then that is what I will do. Is this understood?"

Zirconium struggled, but she couldn't break free of his grip. "Yes...sir," she said reluctantly.

"Good," said Pythoriax, dropping her to the floor. "Now then, go. I will join you shortly." He stared out the window once more. "This planet will fall...and Emerald will perish."

* * *

_The Central Spire_.

The battleships descended, looming over the spire like a battalion of thunderclouds. "So...what now, Mera?" asked Onyx.

Emerald was silent, examining the trajectory of the ships. "They're not coming towards us," she said. "That's a defensive formation. There's something over there they don't want us to reach." She waved over a fleeing Peridot. "You there, what's that underneath the ships?"

"That's the bio-poison foundry, miss," she said, before continuing on her path.

"Of course," Emerald said. "Pythoriax knows we're on to him. He's trying to protect his bio-venom. We've got to get down there to-"

Emerald was cut off as a loud, booming sound pierced the air. It was unlike anything she had ever heard; a reverberating drone that shook everything nearby. Though it was metallic in nature, something about it seemed...angry, somehow. "What the stars was that!?" she exclaimed. And then she saw it.

What first seemed to be wash kicked up by the battleships' antigrav propulsion soon became something more. The water split to reveal a truly gigantic shape rising up out of the water. A humanoid machine, the same gunmetal grey as the Interlopers, rose up from the depths. Four piercing red eyes focused on the spires, as the air was once again split by that ferocious siren.

"Stars alive…" said Onyx. "It...it's an Apex!"


	20. Under Siege

Chapter Twenty: Under Siege

* * *

Pearl had no idea where she was. Well, actually, that wasn't entirely true. She knew she was in the saferoom, deep below the Reef, but where exactly that was, she didn't know. The Bazzites had pretty much left all of them down here, standing guard outside of the room. Some of the other Pearls were milling about, talking about this and that. The green Pearl sat next to our pink Pearl.

"So, this has been one void of a day, huh?" she said. "One minute we're getting massages, the next we're all stuck in a box!"

"Yeah," Pearl agreed, nodding. "So...what are we supposed to do now?"

"Now?" said her fellow Pearl. "Now we just sit here until the Bazzites tell us we can come out. Best get comfy, something tells me it could be a while."

Pearl stood up. In the corner of the room, a monitor on the ceiling showed the current situation at the Central Spire. The building was being attacked by Interloper forces. The city's defenses were active, but it was hard to tell who was winning.

"Don't you feel so...helpless?" said Pearl.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" asked the light blue Pearl.

"I mean helpless!" Pearl said. "Our world is under attack, and all we can do is sit here and watch! Don't you want to do something to help?"

The green Pearl stood up, walking over to Pearl and placing an arm over her shoulders. "Look, hon, it's noble of you to feel that way. But there's not much we _can_ do. We're Pearls. We aren't strong, or smart, or have special powers like other Gems."

"I know," Pearl said. "But don't you wish there was something we could do to help? Just look!" She pointed to the monitor. "What happens if the Interlopers win? What then?" A small crowd had gathered around her now.

"It's not our place," said the blue Pearl. "We weren't made to fight."

"We don't have to _fight_," Pearl said. "I just want to help somehow!" She looked around. None of the others seemed to share her sentiment. "Well, if you're not going to help, I will."

Pearl looked around. A panel on the wall was loose. Better than nothing. She walked over to it and tried to wrest it out of place. No matter how hard she pulled, the metal panel refused to budge. A Pebble barely could have crawled through, let alone a Pearl.

"What is she _doing_?" asked the black Pearl. "Why in the universe would she _want_ to go out there? She'd get herself shattered!"

"She has a point," said a red Pearl quietly. "All of us are Gems, same as any of them. Even if we can't fight...I still want to help in some way, even if it's small."

The green Pearl sighed. "Our girl's crazy...but if she wants to go out there, then that should be her choice. Let's help her."

The green, red, and blue Pearls all walked over to help Pearl remove the panel. With all four of them working on it, it dislodged ever so slightly from its place. "What are you all doing?" Pearl asked.

"Doing our part to protect our empire!" said the green Pearl. "Right, everyone?"

A few more Pearls walked over to help, emboldened by their fellows' actions. Some, including Black Pearl, refused to do so. "Tch! You're all as crazy as she is!" huffed Black Pearl. "When you end up running into one of those metallic freaks, don't come crying to me!"

The panel was almost free now, but it wouldn't move any further, no matter how many Pearls yanked and shoved it. "Great, it's stuck!" said the blue Pearl. "Now what?"

"I think I have an idea," said Pearl. "Everyone stand back." Her gemstone began to glow, as she produced the small blaster that Emerald had given her. The others, who had given her a small berth, now ran to the edges of the room.

"You see!?" said Black Pearl. "Who brings a blaster to a place like this!?"

Pearl aimed the pistol at the panel, and squeezed the trigger. A bolt of energy sprang from the nozzle, nudging the panel and leaving a sizzling mark. She repeated this action a few more times, until the panel had completely fallen from the wall, creating a hole big enough for her to crawl through. Pearl looked up at her new friends. "So...I guess this is goodbye."

"It is for now," said the green Pearl. "We may have helped, but I doubt any of us are crazy enough to go out there. But maybe crazy is what we need right now. Good luck, hon. Try not to get yourself shattered out there!"

"Will do!" Pearl said. She placed the blaster back into her gemstone, and crawled through the tiny space in the wall.

"Hmph! She must have been defective, that one," muttered Black Pearl, her nose in the air.

The green Pearl looked on to where that fancy pink Pearl had disappeared to. Maybe she was defective. But if so, maybe that was a good thing. "Shine on, you crazy Pearl!" she said to herself.

Pearl slowly but surely made her way through the crawlspace, with one question on her mind: what now? She hadn't really thought about what she would do upon escaping, and no plan was coming to mind. She glanced out of the various holes she found, but nothing useful ever seemed to reveal itself to her.

Just as she was preparing to double back, something interesting caught her eye. Through one of the holes was a small, one-Gem skiff, used for travelling across the water. Due to the facility being on lockdown, it was completely unguarded.

"Ah," Pearl said. "That could work."

* * *

The Central Spire was under attack. While the battleships stayed put over the foundry, fighters and dropships laid siege to the Spire and the surrounding city. Defense cannons fought off all the ships that they could, and the Gems had launched several fighters of their own. Even worse, the titanic Apex lumbered ever closer. If that metal monstrosity made it to shore, all would definitely be lost. The cannons were slowing it down, but only slightly.

"Come on, you tin cans!" yelled Onyx, smashing a whole battalion of Interlopers with her hammer. "You think you're hot shard? You ain't nothing!"

Nines and her company were blasting the Interlopers at the shore before they could get any closer. A couple did manage to get past their defenses, however. A few Scavengers got too close, bearing down on Tenrit. "Nines, sword me!" shouted the Valurian.

"Coming up!" Nines produced a khopesh from her gemstone, tossing it to Tenrit. He dispatched the Scavengers with the weapon before they had the chance to blast him. He twirled the sword around upon taking them down. "Where'd you learn to do that?" asked Nines.

"Back home, I had a lot of free time," Tenrit said.

Emerald fought like an animal, slaying Interlopers in droves. In the midst of her rampage, a communication came through to her. "My Emerald, the southern defense tower is down!" said a Jasper. Emerald looked to said tower, which's turret had indeed stopped firing. If they didn't get it up and running again, the Apex would flatten them all. "Should we send a team to fix it?"

"No, everybody keep fighting," Emerald responded. "I'll go in myself." After making sure that there were no Interlopers near her, Emerald ran towards the tower.

Emerald was not entirely sure how they would win this fight. They were outnumbered, outgunned, and that metal monster stomping through the water was one void of a trump card. Tanzanite was right; she wished she never ran into that thing. Their only hope was the cannons, and if the Interlopers disabled them...well, it didn't take a genius to tell what happens next.

Bursting in through the door to the tower, Emerald expected to find it crawling with Interlopers. Instead, it seemed to be strangely empty. No Interlopers, but also no Gems. Having less enemies to fight was probably a good thing, but something about the lack of them unnerved Emerald. It was a classic case of 'quiet, too quiet.' Emerald made her way towards the cannon's power source.

As she descended to the core, another transmission came through. "My Emerald, I am on my way." It was Tanzanite. "I'm charging the Decimator now."

"Tanzanite, where are you?" said Emerald. "Is Pearl with you?"

"Pearl is safe, the Reef is on lockdown. I have taken control of the _Soul Evaporator_. The Decimator will be ready to fire in twenty minutes."

"Understood," said Emerald. "Diamondspeed, Tanzanite. _Adamantem in Eternum_."

"_Adamantem in Eternum_, My Emerald," said Tanzanite, before cutting off the transmission. Emerald continued towards the core. Hopefully, Tanzanite would be able to put a dent in their defenses. At last, she reached the core, which had indeed been shut off. And the culprit stood in the center of the room.

"And here she is, the former Supreme Admiral of Homeworld, in the light," said Zirconium. "I've wanted to meet you for so long now."

Emerald's anger flared up at her enemy, before she was able to tamp it down. "You must be Zirconium," she said. "The ringleader. I've been dying to meet you, too."

The fusion calmly walked around the room, her lower pair of arms held behind her back, the upper pair clasped in front of her. "It really is a shame what we've had to do, the five of us. Spodumene and Purpurite, they really did love Homeworld, even at its worst. But they loved each other more." She turned towards Emerald. "That's Homeworld's biggest problem. You can love nothing more than you love it. Freedom, other Gems-unacceptable. It's no wonder Rose Quartz decided she had had enough."

Emerald sighed. "I know you've been wronged. You all have. But siding with the Interlopers? Can't you see Pythoriax is just using you? Once he gets what he wants, he'll throw you to the wayside, just like Homeworld did. Do you really want that?"

Zirconium stared forlornly into the distance. "I know. From the beginning, I've always known. But we had no choice. We couldn't change Homeworld on our own, so we needed outside help."

"And you really believe the world that the Interlopers turn Homeworld into will care about you any more than the old one?" said Emerald. "Pythoriax hates Gems. He only cares about you as long as you obey him. I think it's safe to assume this is a common sentiment among his people." She walked closer. "Please, Zirconium, reconsider. I still have all your friends, bubbled. I can take you to them. All six-er, five of you can stay with me, under Homeworld's radar. It may not be ideal, but I promise you, it's better than working with the Interlopers."

A small grin spread across Zirconium's face. "And why should I listen to an upper-crust like you?" she said quietly. Before Emerald could respond, Zirconium thrust out her arm, suspending Emerald in the air. "You claim to want what's best for me...but you only want me out of the way. You're no better than the Interlopers. Even if working with them leads to my downfall, at least Homeworld and the Diamonds will fall as well. It won't be the world I sought to create, but as long as my enemies are destroyed, I don't care."

"No! I can...help you!" Emerald strained to speak under the fusion's grasp. "You don't...want to...do this!"

"Perhaps not. But it's far better than the alternative," Zirconium said. Lifting her other hand up as well, Emerald felt an intense pressure across her entire body. She was trying to crush her. Emerald twisted and squirmed, to no avail. "Don't try to struggle. This will be over soon."

Just as the pressure became unbearable, it suddenly stopped. Though she still couldn't move, Emerald wasn't being crushed. She looked up to see something had caused Zirconium to stumble.

"Get away from My Emerald!" shouted Pearl, her blaster aimed at the fusion.

"Pearl!" cried Emerald. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to save you, My Emerald!" said Pearl. Suddenly, Pearl was lifted into the air as well, beside her master.

"What a touching reunion," Zirconium said. "And such loyalty! Unfortunately, Pearls who are loyal to their masters have no place in my new world." Both Emerald and Pearl were shoved tight against one another, and the pressure resumed. "I will give you the small courtesy of being together in death. Farewell."

"M-My Emerald! It's too tight!" said Pearl. "It hurts!"

"I know, just hold on a little longer!" said Emerald. "We'll be okay!" Deep down, she was certain that this would not be the case.

"My Emerald, I...I love you," Pearl said.

"I love you too, Pearl," Emerald said. "Don't worry. It's gonna be okay. It'll be okay."

And then, the pressure ceased, replaced by a blinding light.


	21. Tourmaline

Chapter Twenty-One: Tourmaline

* * *

The battle on the shoreline raged. The Central Spire was rattled by explosions from all around, coming from both Gem and Interloper forces. While their assault was being held back for now, their metallic foes inched ever closer as the Apex trudged onwards through the water. Turrets laid into it, and it was repeatedly bombarded by Gem fighter ships, but nothing seemed to slow it down.

Nines fired at the approaching Interlopers, never giving them a moment to get past. "That thing's getting closer!" she said. "Don't we have anything bigger we can hit it with?"

"This planet's not big on weapons," said Onyx. "It didn't have any reason to be, to be fair. We're lucky to have what little we got."

Tenrit stood ready with his blade, on loan from Nines. "This is bad business. Are you sure you can't call in reinforcements from Homeworld or something?"

"Doubtful. We're stretched thin as it is," said Nines.

In the middle of this battle, a third party made an unexpected appearance. Tenrit saw it first: something approaching from over the water, speeding towards them. At first, he thought it was some sort of projectile, but as it grew closer, he recognized it as a Gem ship. Specifically, a small, one-Gem skiff. Before he had time to surmise what such a vehicle was doing in a place like this, the skiff collided with the shoreline, barrelling through several Interlopers and skipping like a stone onto the land. He was also familiar with the Gem that then climbed out.

"Hey, isn't that Emerald's Pearl?" he said.

Nines gave a quick glance behind her. "Yeah, it is," she said. "What's she doing in a place like this?" Before the two could wonder further, the Pearl ran off towards one of the defense towers, evidently having seen something over there. "Emerald's not gonna like this."

"I will tell you something else she will not like." Tenrit and Nines turned around to see a new challenger standing before them: Pythoriax himself. "_Me_."

"_You_..." Tenrit hissed disdainfully. He raised his khopesh. "You're the reason I was stuck in an iron lung for five thousand years! You're gonna pay, you-"

Just as Tenrit charged Pythoriax, the latter took off into the air with his jet boosters, avoiding the former's sword strike. He summoned a pair of familiar-looking claws onto his hands, delivering a nasty slash to Tenrit's chest.

"The only one that's going to pay is Emerald," Pythoriax said coldly. "She'll pay dearly for what she has done to me. For everything she has cost me...I'll make her suffer. No, better yet, I'll take her power for my own."

"You'll have to get through us first!" said Nines. She unloaded her blaster into the general, who was only slightly inconvenienced by the ionic barrage. He held up his arms to block the beams, before flying towards the Citrine and knocking her to the ground with a kick.

"I've begun to understand why you Gems are so insubordinate," he said, looking down at his hands. "This power is almost overwhelming! I can only imagine what it would feel like to take hers for myself. Now...consider this going through you." He drove his claw downwards, sending all three blades through Nines' chest. The wound was bad enough for her body to destabilize shortly after, her armor falling limply in the place she had been. "Too easy."

"Nines, no!" yelled Tenrit. Before Pythoriax could act further, he ran over and picked up the Citrine gemstone, running off with it.

"Shame-I was going to shatter her," said Pythoriax. "No matter. I've more pressing matters to attend to. For example…" He rotated in the air, turning himself towards Onyx. The black Quartz was standing firm, hammer in hand. "...Where is Emerald?"

* * *

She opened her eyes, gazing at her surroundings. She was still in the core chamber. Zirconium was still there as well, a look of disbelief on her face. "How...is this possible?" said the latter.

The last thing she could remember, she was being held close to Emerald. No, to Pearl. No, to...what? If she wasn't Pearl, and if she wasn't Emerald, then who-what-was she?

This new being looked down at herself. Her skin was mostly green like Emerald's, but some of it was swirled in pink, like Pearl's. Biggest of all, she had four arms. The upper pair had floating touch stumps, like Emerald's exo-shell had, while the lower pair was dainty like Pearl. She wore the rest of the exo-shell as a sort of armor, with the screen forming a visor over her eyes, of which she had two, though each had two pupils. Her hair mostly resembled Emerald's, though it was slicked back rather than standing straight up. It was mostly green with pink stripes.

"This can't be happening!" said Zirconium. "This wasn't supposed to happen! Gems like you...you aren't supposed to fuse! You _can't_ fuse!"

"Did I...did we...just fuse?" The new Gem looked down at herself once more. Indeed, she had both of her components' gems, on her stomach and upper-right forearm. Both gems were swirled with pink and green. "We did." She looked up at Zirconium. "Did you do this?"

"What!? Of course I didn't!" cried Zirconium. "I was trying to crush you! I had no idea the upper crust could fuse! You're supposed to love a Gem to be able to fuse with them!"

"Well, I love...I mean, they love each other. My components, I mean. Pearl, she looks up to Emerald. She trusts her. And Emerald respects Pearl, knows she's a Gem, too. And I...I guess their love made me."

"No!" yelled Zirconium. "An Emerald can't feel love for a Pearl! No upper-crust can love lower-class Gems! They can't see us as anything other than objects! And Pearls...they're brainwashed into loving their masters! It's not real love! _You're not a real fusion_!" Zirconium threw all four of her hands out towards the other fusion, attempting to grab her with her powers.

While this worked at first, the fusion instinctively tried to access Emerald's electric abilities. However, something different happened. An invisible force of her own threw off Zirconium's psychic grasp, causing her to stumble back. The fusion looked down at her own hands, confused as to what she had done.

"Rrragh...fine!" Zirconium reached up to her gemstones, pulling something out of each too quickly to see. Both of these unseen objects were slammed against each other, and the result was an ornate, white and red bo-staff. She twirled the staff in front of her. "Now we finish this. Come, Emerald!"

The fusion was quiet for a moment, taking in the thoughts of both her component Gems. When a conclusion was reached, she opened her eyes, staring at Zirconium. "My name…" She held all four of her arms up to her chest, and threw them out to the side. From all four wrists, a blade extended. Almost identical to Emerald's, though these blades were slightly longer, as well as not needing to emerge from her gemstone. "...is Tourmaline."

"Your name doesn't concern me; you'll be shattered shortly enough." Zirconium raised her lower pair of arms into the air, lifting several objects up behind her. She thrust her arms forward, and the objects were flung towards Tourmaline. The newly-formed fusion charged, slicing cleanly through each of the objects with her blades. Upon reaching Zirconium, she leapt into the air, bringing all four blades down at once. Zirconium blocked them with her staff-the two were locked in a struggle.

"I know you've been hurt," said Tourmaline, "but I can't let you destroy Homeworld. Especially not with help from the Interlopers."

"You think you can understand me? You've never felt what I have!" yelled Zirconium.

"Maybe so, but that doesn't mean I can't recognize you've suffered. Come with me, Zirconium, I can help you!"

"I don't need your pity!" Zirconium shoved off Tourmaline's blades, striking her repeatedly with the staff. "You think just because you two fused, you can understand me!? You will never be one of us!"

Tourmaline grabbed the staff before it hit her again. "I'm not trying to be." She tried to pull the staff out of her hands, but instead ended up throwing Zirconium against the wall so hard she smashed through it. Before she could be amazed at her own strength, Tourmaline was pulled through as well but Zirconium's psychic abilities. Both of them rocketed towards the floor of an underground chamber.

Tourmaline held out her hands to lessen the impact. However, she soon found that she didn't hit the ground at all. She slowly opened her eyes, finding herself floating inches above the floor. She awkwardly tried to maneuver herself around, twisting around like an astronaut in zero gravity. Wait a moment…

"Gravity," she whispered to herself. "My power is gravity." Knowing this, she was able to slowly lower herself down to her feet, her boots planting on the floor. Before she could study her surroundings, however, a blunt object collided with the back of her head.

"You won't win!" yelled Zirconium, continuing to swing her staff. "I won't let you destroy everything I've worked for!"

"What _have_ you worked for?" countered Tourmaline, blocking the blows with her blades. "You really think Pythoriax wants what's best for you?"

"I don't care!" she yelled. "I just want those who made me suffer to pay! And if I have to die to achieve that, so be it!" Zirconium's power surged as a tornado of objects swirled around her. "And I'll start with you!"

Tourmaline was bombarded with these objects, doing her best to dodge or intercept them. Her powers soon came to mind, using her control of gravity to make herself nearly weightless. By doing this, she was able to use the projectiles as platforms, jumping from one to the next towards Zirconium.

With a gravitic wave blasted from her arms, Tourmaline cleared a path through Zirconium's makeshift shield. She leapt through right towards her, blades outstretched. However, Zirconium was prepared; she pushed back with a blast of psychic power, preventing Tourmaline from getting closer. Tourmaline, however, pushed back with her power as well. The two struggled in midair, each trying to outdo the other's power. The very air around them pulsed as an unstoppable force tried to collide with an immovable object. Eventually, though unable to win out, Tourmaline cut the struggle short by slashing Zirconium with her blade; the power immediately ceased, and all the objects and both Gems fell to the ground.

Tourmaline was exhausted from the struggle. She barely had enough energy to stand. Zirconium, however, was faring worse. While she wasn't nearly as tired, a large slash ran across her chest. Light poured out of the wound. While she didn't poof immediately, the flickery state of her body showed that she was about to.

A staticky message came through Emerald's communicator. "My Emerald...almost ready...five minutes…" Tanzanite.

"Understood, Tanzanite," said Tourmaline. "Prepare to fire on my command."

"What?...who...this?" came the reply.

"I'll explain later, just get ready," said Tourmaline. She deactivated the communicator and stood up, looking at her foe. "It's over, Zirconium. Pythoriax and his armies are finished...but you don't have to be." She held out a hand. "Come with me. You don't have to run anymore. I can keep you safe. I promise."

Zirconium looked down at her sorry state. "No. I'm afraid I can't accept. I won't allow myself-allow them-to be a prisoner anymore, even to one as well-meaning as you. There is only one option."

She reached her upper arms up to her shoulders...and tore her gemstones from their places. Light shone from the spot where they had been. Tourmaline tried to express her concern, but refused to hear it.

"Goodbye, Emerald."

Both of Zirconium's gemstones were immediately crushed in her grip, shattering them to pieces. A look of peace flashed across her face as her body flickered violently, before vanishing into nothing, leaving the tiny shards falling to the floor as the only memoir of her existence. Tourmaline just stood there, staring in shock at the place her fellow fusion had stood just moments prior.

* * *

**AN: To put your worries to rest, Pearl will not become corrupted as well. Emerald's exo-shell acts as a barrier for corruption, so it won't spread to Pearl like it did Jasper. So there's no need to worry!**


	22. Dire Times

Chapter Twenty-Two: Dire Times

* * *

Tanzanite strained; the mental effort of controlling an entire ship by herself was proving much more taxing than she had anticipated. With nobody else to see to the propulsion, shields, navigation, radar, weaponry, or any of the numerous subsystems, she had to take care of all of that on her own. Nevertheless, she powered through the pain, piloting the _Soul Evaporator_ down towards the Central Spire. The Decimator was almost ready to fire, but she had to get in range first.

The battle continued to rage on the surface. All of the battleships, Pythoriax's flagship among them, hovered above the bio-venom foundry, preventing any Gem ships from getting closer. However, the Interloper's superiority in this conflict was about to be certain: the Apex had arrived at the Spire. As it didn't have any weaponry aside from its massive size, Tanzanite surmised it was one of the older models from when its kind was first developed. Even without lasers and rockets, the titanic mecha was in place to decimate the settlement, something it would be able to do without opposition if someone didn't do something soon.

The _Soul_ was in place. The Decimator was fully charged. If she was going to do anything, now was the time. Tanzanite sent another message to her commander. "My Emerald! The Decimator is ready to fire!"

* * *

Down at the Spire, the Apex had just arrived. The defensive cannons continued to fire, doing little to slow it down at this distance. With a single swing of its arm, the Apex sent the tower careening to the ground like it was made of building blocks. As the Interlopers marched on the Spire, the Gems defending it had no choice but to retreat.

Tenrit held tight to Nines' gemstone, taking care not to accidentally scratch it with his metal hands. He was unable to access her khopesh, and he had left her blaster when he had run away, and so had no way to defend himself as the Interlopers approached. Worse still, the Apex continued to demolish the Spire's only means of defense.

Amidst the panic, Tenrit saw a familiar face in the distance. Onyx limped towards the main tower, her physical form severely beaten up. Glowing slash-marks covered her body, and she was missing a good portion of her left arm. Tenrit hurried over to her. "Onyx, there you are!" he exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

"Pythoriax happened," she said. "He's here, and he's somehow upgraded himself."

"I'm aware," said Tenrit, holding up the Citrine gem in his hand. "He isn't still here, is he? Where did he go?"

Onyx's body flickered violently, causing her to double over in pain. Tenrit ran up to catch her, not that he could hold her up for long. "He went after Emerald," she said, strained. "Said I wasn't worth his time, and just flew off."

"So Emerald's in trouble," said Tenrit, looking off into the distance. "Actually, we're _all_ in trouble! Hurry, let's get inside."

Onyx's body continued to flicker. "I'm alright, just give me a minute. I can still fight!"

"Trust me, you're in no shape to be fighting," said Tenrit. The Interloper forces were drawing near. "Quick, we have to defend the Sapphires. I guess. I could take 'em or leave 'em, but that's what you Gems would do, right?"

"Heh, I guess it is," said Onyx. The two of them joined the other Gems in hurrying into the Spite, hoping they could defend against the attack from within. Though with the Apex approaching, prospects looked dim.

* * *

Tourmaline gingerly reached down to touch the shattered remains of Zirconium's component Gems. She may have been working with the Interlopers to topple the Diamonds' rule and send Homeworld into chaos, but, now knowing that she was so far gone that shattering herself seemed a better option than going into hiding with Emerald's help, she couldn't help but pity her fallen foe. Perhaps there would be some way to make it up to her.

"When we get back to Homeworld…" Tourmaline said to herself, "...we have to keep the rest of her team out of Homworld's hands. They'll be shattered for sure. We at least owe it to them to keep them alive. All they wanted was to be free. But, working with the Interlopers…" Tourmaline seemed to be having an inner conflict.

However, a noise in the distance interrupted her turmoil. The fusion looked towards the source of the sound, to find it was coming from Pythoriax's rocket boosters. The Interloper general descended down to Tourmaline's level; though his eyes were the same piercing beads as always, they seemed to exude an aura of smugness, similar to when Emerald had first met him.

"So, this is where you've been hiding," he said coldly. Beneath his icy demeanor was barely-suppressed fury. "I'm glad I was able to find you. I've such a surprise in store for you! And from the looks of it...you've one for me, as well."

"Good to see you're finally taking matters into your own hands," said Tourmaline. "Finally finished hiding behind your hired muscle?"

"Yes, I've had enough hiding to last a lifetime!" the general exclaimed. "When you stay off the battlefield as long as I have, you start to develop a longing for blood, unquenchable by watching from the sidelines. An itch that can only be scratched by killing!" His gaze was drawn to the broken gems of Zirconium. "And speaking of killing...it looks as though you've done away with Zirconium! And then there was one."

"I had nothing to do with her," said Tourmaline. "Once she lost, she decided that she couldn't live in a world where she had to accept my help."

"Mmm, it's no concern to me _how_ she died, only that she's out of the way," said Pythoriax. "Now, let's move on to more pressing issues: have you fused with that Pearl of yours?"

"Maybe," Tourmaline said. "What's it to you?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing, I just never thought you'd stoop so low," he said. "But then again, I suppose I'm not one to talk, considering my…" He summoned Serpentine's claws onto his hands. "...enhancements."

Pythoriax dove towards Tourmaline. The fusion quickly re-summoned her blades, blocking his claws. She was pushed back by the impact, her boots skidding on the floor before gaining the traction to stop him. She threw her arms outwards, knocking Pythoriax back, before he rushed again.

"I've been waiting a long time for this!" he said, as his weapons clashed against the fusion's. "Ever since you destroyed my station, and cut me in half! I've dreamed about this day!"

"And I'll do it again!" yelled Tourmaline. She punched forwards with one of her arms, the blade sinking into Pythoriax's shoulder. The Interloper let loose a roar of rage, flailing his claws as he tried to get free. Just before he pulled free, his claw left a small scratch against Tourmaline's cheek.

After checking the damage, Pythoriax looked up to see the claw mark he had left. "Oh, did I cut you? What's the matter, Emerald? Are you feeling alright?"

"S-Shut up!" said Tourmaline. But indeed, she was beginning to feel the effects of Serpentine's venom. Her vision blurred, and her body began to glitch and flicker. Exhaustion began to set in as well. Despite this, she still tried to go after her enemy.

Pythoriax effortlessly dodged Tourmaline's clumsy strikes. "Are you sure you don't need some time to rest?" he taunted. "Because I'd be happy to give you a break! The longer we do our dance down here, the closer my forces come to obliterating any resistance up top!"

"Obliterate this!" said Tourmaline. She pointed the tip of all four blades at the Interloper, and from each one shot a projectile like those from Pearl's pistol. Pythoriax was caught off-guard, and so the shots collided with him, leaving visible marks on his chassis. He growled in anger, and took to the skies to avoid further shots. Tourmaline continued to fire, but Pythoriax was too swift up in the air. She needed a new tactic.

Remembering what she had learned during her battle with Zirconium, Tourmaline attempted to access her powers. She concentrated, succeeding in making herself weightless. She pushed off the ground, taking herself up to Pythoriax's level.

"Oh, look at you, flying so high like a little bird!" said Pythoriax. "How about I clip your wings?" She rushed her, claws outstretched. Even in her current state, Tourmaline was quick enough to block them with two of her blades, using her lower pair of arms to stabilize herself. The two struggled in midair for some time, before Tourmaline knocked the general off her with a headbutt.

"Maybe I should have given that more thought…" she said, rubbing her forehead. Nonetheless, Tourmaline was now using her powers to become fully airborne. She flew after Pythoriax, the two glancing off of each other as the struggle continued.

Tourmaline eventually got the upper hand, pinning him against a wall. "It's over, Pythoriax," she said. "You're through, and so is your foundry!"

Rather than be angry as she expected, Pythoriax merely laughed. "Are you so sure? Perhaps you should be paying better attention to your surroundings."

Above ground, the Apex continued to pummel the Gem structures. The turret towers were almost entirely destroyed by now. Only one last obstacle stood in its path: the Spire itself. The Apex wound back its arm, letting loose with a massive blow to the tower's side. The building held, but the impact was felt throughout. Including underground.

So great was the punch that Tourmaline was shaken from her place on the wall by the impact. Pythoriax, unsurprisingly, capitalized on this momentary lapse to attack. He lunged forward, sinking both his claws into Tourmaline's midsection. The fusion cried out in pain. "Now! Die!" Pythoriax blasted towards the ground at full speed, pushing Tourmaline down ahead of him. With a resounding crash, the fusion was split into two.

Slowly, Emerald opened her eyes. She lay on the floor, back in her exo-shell. Pearl was not far off, still flickering from Serpentine's venom. Her blaster had clattered somewhere else as well.

Pythoriax slowly made his way towards the dazed Beryl. "I've almost finished here. Send a team for extraction," he said over the radio. He returned his attention to Emerald. "So, this is how it ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper. Never thought you'd die like this, did you, O mighty Emerald?"

"What, to the weakest of the four Interloper generals?" said Emerald, doing her best to regain some semblance of control over her robotic shell. "No, I can honestly say I didn't."

"Far from it!" he said boastfully. "I may not have been a combatant, but I've done more damage to your pitiful regime than the rest of my fellows combined! By preventing Homeworld from acquiring resources, I have, in effect, singlehandedly crippled your empire." He placed his foot on Emerald's chest. "You see, all four of us had our roles to play. Melvirius was conquest, Omnulus was war, and Glithenes was death. Me? I'm famine. With a little bit of pestilence mixed in."

Emerald feebly tried to remove the Interloper from her. "You...you sure love the sound of your own voice, don't you?"

"Bah! I can't expect you to have any idea what I'm talking about," he said. "Now, before I execute you, and every worthless Gem on this wretched planet...do you have any last words?"

"Last words…" said Emerald. Admittedly, she couldn't think of any. "Could you give me some time?"

"An odd choice for last words," said Pythoriax. "But, if you wish to be remembered for saying that, then so be it!"

At that moment, a voice came through Emerald's communicator. "...merald...ready...fire!" it said. Tanzanite again.

"What? What was that!?" said Pythoriax.

Emerald stared up at the Interloper general. "You wanted my last words?" she said. "How's this for last words: Fire, now!"

"Roger that, My Emerald!"

Tanzanite let loose with the Decimator. The blue beam cut through the air, tearing through the battleships that stood in its way. The smoldering wreckage of the Interloper vessels descended downwards, setting off a spectacular chain reaction. Tanzanite knew that she could only fire once, so she had preemptively set the _Soul Evaporator_ up in such a way that, when the beam fired, the damaged ships would take care of the rest. And they did so, falling atop their fellows, adding to the destruction. In particular, the _Pandora's Box_ crashed directly into the foundry below. As Tenrit had said earlier, bio-venom was quite reactive.

What followed upon the dreadnaught crashing into the foundry was an even larger explosion than before, as every ounce of bio-venom went up in flames at once. If any warships had survived the initial Decimator shot, they were surely destroyed now. And, due to it being underwater, the explosion kicked up an enormous tidal wave.

This wave, even higher than the Spire, rushed towards the same at lightning speed. Thousands of gallons of water washed over the spire and, by extension, the Apex. While the Central Spire was rooted in place, the Apex had no such luck, being swept aside by the torrent, being blown a full body's-length away from the source of the explosion. Though not completely destroyed, it was in no place to resist.

This explosion had also rattled the surrounding area enough to knock the three of them around. Emerald got to her feet-her first thought was to make sure Pearl was alright. However, the pink Gem was nowhere in sight. Pythoriax, however, got to his feet as well.

"You...you miserable rock!" he yelled. "I'm going to feed you to Serpentine!"

Emerald concentrated, summoning blades to both her arms. Feeling her strength renew, she glared up at her foe as she crackled with electricity. "Bring it."


	23. Retrograde

Chapter Twenty-Three: Retrograde

* * *

Immediately, Pythoriax sprinted towards Emerald. She threw her blade forward, and though he blocked it with a claw, he stumbled past, regaining his footing and turning around to face her. Emerald smirked; his rage was making him sloppy.

She said as such. "What's the matter? Not so high and mighty now that your plan went up in smoke? I thought you of all people would have a backup plan!"

Pythoriax ascended into the air. "And who's to say I don't?" he said. He flew at Emerald once more, the two clashing weapons when he reached her. His jets pushed Emerald back, but her heels dug into the floor. "For that matter, who's to say your friends survived that explosion? They could all have been washed away!"

Emerald threw the Interloper back. "You think they would stay outside with your metal colossus out there? I like to think my teammates have more sense than _that_!" She fired both of her blasters at Pythoriax; he dodged the shots, flying around the room to find a better angle of approach.

"No matter! Even without my foundry, even without my Apex, I will still crush you! You and all your pitiful subordinates!" Pythoriax flew towards Emerald from behind, driving a claw towards her. The three blades could not penetrate the exo-frame, leaving only a small chip. Emerald swung her arm around behind her, cutting a gash down the side of Pythoriax's face with her blade.

The Interloper flew off-course, crash-landing into the floor on the other side of the room. He pulled himself to his feet. "How can you resist these blades?" he snarled. "They should be able to cut through Gems instantly!"

"Funny thing about that," Emerald said, tapping the exo-shell. "This here is pure polymer. "You'd have to swing those things pretty hard to cut through this stuff."

"Then I shall do just that!" He threw himself at Emerald once more, though this time, she was much quicker. She launched a huge bolt of electricity from her fingers, blasting Pythoriax against the rear wall.

"Face it, metal-head, you're through!" Emerald started walking towards him. She readied her blades to finish him off. "Hey, when you get back to the Oculus, tell those friends of yours I said hi."

"Tell them yourself, in the void!" yelled Pythoriax. Before Emerald had reached him, he pulled a secret device out from a hidden compartment in his back. He lunged, thrusting a Gem destabilizer into Emerald's chest. Aside from her initial surprise, the tool had no effect. "What? _What_!?"

"Nice try," said Emerald. "You can't destabilize my physical form if I don't have one!" She thrust her blade towards Pythoriax's chest; he blocked it with his hand, the weapon spearing through his palm, though he was able to prevent it from entering his chest.

Meanwhile, unbenounced to the fighting pair, Pearl had just now come to. Her eyes slowly opened, as she made sense of her surroundings. "My...Emerald?" she said quietly. She looked up to see Emerald and Pythoriax locked in combat. She reached down to her Gem to draw her blaster, but stopped when she realized it was no longer there. She must have dropped it when they defused. She looked around for a moment, before spotting it in the distance. Too weary to get to her feet, she slowly crawled over to the weapon.

"You...you are nothing!" said Pythoriax. He pushed himself off from the wall with his legs, trying to free himself enough room to deploy his jets. "Even if you kill me, the Interlopers will still stop at nothing to destroy your feeble planet! My death will be meaningless!"

"Sounds to me like somebody who doesn't want to die," said Emerald. "If you were really even alive, I'd consider it. But you can't fool me; this isn't even your body. Your mind's still safe and sound back at the Oculus."

"Mmm, fair enough," said Pythoriax. "Still…" He had gained just enough room for his jets to come out. He charged them up, before looking Emerald dead in the eyes. "I'd rather not get demoted!"

The rockets let loose, carrying Pythoriax, who carried Emerald with him, up towards the ceiling. Pythoriax then quickly changed direction, speeding down towards the floor. He slammed Emerald into it with a deafening crack; the Beryl was momentarily stunned.

Groaning, Emerald got to her feet. Pythoriax hovered above her, but it wasn't just him she now had to worry about. Several Scavengers and a handful of Predators were making their way into this underground chamber, their focuses on her. "What did I tell you?" said Pythoriax. "I may be a big deal as far as rank goes, but I'm only one man. You can destroy me all you want; to tell the truth, I really don't care that much at this point. But I just want you to realize how pointless all of this is. There is no possible way you can destroy all of us! We'll just keep coming, and coming, and coming, until Homeworld is nothing but dust!"

As the Interlopers approached, Emerald held out her blades. "And that's _why_ we'll keep fighting you. In case you didn't notice, it takes a lot to make us Gems give up. And you and your posse? You're not even close!" The robots began their attack; Emerald went wild with her blades, dissecting them before they could get a hit on her. The ones further away fired their blasters, to which Emerald countered by firing her own.

"No! Shatter her, you incompetent ingrates!" yelled Pythoriax, observing the battle from above. You have superior numbers, _how is she beating you_!?" Just then, the general's attention was drawn away from the battle to the other side of the room. Emerald's Pearl was still alive, and crawling towards her pistol. Clearly, she meant to assist her master. Pythoriax glanced back at Emerald when the idea came to him. He flew over to the Pearl, reaching her right as she was about to grab the blaster.

Emerald continued to decimate the opposition, nearly-effortlessly taking down each of the Interlopers that opposed her. While her exo-frame now looked quite scuffed up, she still fought vigorously. However, a sound caught her attention; it sounded like a scream. She looked over to see Pearl being held in Pythoriax's grasp, struggling to free herself, to no avail. "Pearl!" she shouted.

"Ah, now we've reached an understanding!" said Pythoriax. "You seem to have quite the attachment to this little fashion accessory, am I correct?"

"Let her go, NOW!" Emerald yelled, her hands crackling with electricity, aiming them at the general.

"Up-bup-bup!" said Pythoriax, holding out his hand. "Be careful where you aim that! After all, you wouldn't want anything to happen to this poppet, now…" A claw appeared on his free hand, which he brought down closer to Pearl's gem, practically scraping the surface of it. "...would you?"

Emerald and Pythoriax stood facing off, each threatening to make good on their respective promises. Pythoriax, however, held far more weight with his hostage than Emerald did with her powers. Reluctantly, she relented, her arms falling to her sides. "Fine. You win. Just let her go."

"Not so fast," said Pythoriax. "I'll let her go free once I'm sure you're no longer a threat. First, allow your exo-shell to be destroyed, and your physical form destabilized. I'll allow her to live when your gemstone is in our custody. Is that clear?"

"I…" Emerald wanted to protest. It couldn't end this way, could it? After everything she had been through, this was how she would be beaten? As much as she hated it, Pearl's life was more important. "Yes, I understand. Do whatever you have to do."

"Excellent!" said Pythoriax. "I swear on my honor as a general that no harm will come to her."

"My Emerald, wait!" shouted Pearl. "Don't do this! It isn't worth it!"

Emerald looked into Pearl's eyes. "Yes, you are," she said. "Trust me, Pearl."

"But...but you can't...it can't…" Pearl said quietly.

A small smile spread across Emerald's cheeks, barely visible. "Trust me," she said, Barely audible.

"Alright, that's enough goodbyes," Pythoriax said. "Get her gem, and we'll figure out what to do with her." Two Scavengers shifted their blasters into blade form, and began walking towards Emerald. She stood entirely still, as though resigned to her fate.

What the Interlopers didn't realize, however, was that the air in the room around them had become much drier. Not immediately obvious, but the entire chamber was rich with static electricity, becoming more and more charged. Had they been paying closer attention, they might have noticed that green sparks were being emitted from Emerald's touch stumps. Just as the Scavengers prepared to slice through the exo-frame, the green Gem thrust her arm into the air. The electricity reached its peak.

The result of Emerald's charging became apparent. As soon as she reached upwards, a green bolt of lightning shot down from the ceiling and into her hand. Now overcharged, the Interlopers had no time to react before Emerald let loose her trump card: a powerful electromagnetic pulse shot out from her body. She and they shuddered for a moment as the power ran through their circuits, before going dark. Aside from Pearl, every being in the room had been short-circuited by the pulse.

Pearl pulled herself free from Pythoriax's grip before he could reboot. In the silence, she looked at Emerald's inactive exo-frame. She was still alive, surely. Her gemstone wasn't damaged in the blast; it couldn't have been. Pearl's main concern was what would happen if the Interlopers woke up before she did. She made her way over to her blaster, before being startled by a sudden voice.

"Th-th-th-tha-tha-that fool!" said Pythoriax, gradually coming back online. "She disab-ab-abled hersel-el-elf! Easy ki-ki-ki-kill!"

Paying no attention to Pearl, he made his way towards Emerald, preparing to take out her gemstone himself. However, a sudden jerk from her exo-frame caught him by surprise. Something was making Emerald's body move-but it surely wasn't reactivated yet. Besides, this movement seemed far less mechanical, and much more...organic.

A massive clawed hand suddenly burst forth out of the exo-frame's chest, crushing a Scavenger beneath it when it slammed into the floor. The exo-frame continued to jolt and spasm as this beast tore its way out of the small space. A ferocious roar emerged from its maw once its head was loose.

"You've got to be joking!" exclaimed Pythoriax. "Everyone who's left, kill that thing now!" The general himself retreated to a safe distance.

The giant monster that was once Emerald was now fully free of its cocoon. As the Interlopers surrounding it began to come back online, it smashed through each and every one of them with its teeth, claws, and spike covered tail. Pearl watched from afar, amazed by the sight, but also understandably terrified. She knew of her master's fate back on Alpus Beta...but this was beyond anything she had imagined!

With another mighty roar, thousands of volts worth of electricity shot out from the beast. Every Interloper surrounding her was obliterated by the surge, practically turning to dust. Afterwards, the room was silent once again. Silent, that is, aside from a light breathing sound coming from Emerald. She brought her head close to the ground as though looking for something...before turning her attention towards Pearl.

As Emerald began to walk towards her, Pearl yelped. She pushed herself up against the wall, bracing for attack. However, none came. She felt a light breeze on her skin: the beast was smelling her. She looked up at it. Sure enough, the gemstone present on its right forelimb was undoubtedly Emerald's. She looked into the creatures countless yellow eyes. Although they looked nothing like hers, something about these eyes filled Pearl with comfort. Although her mind, body, and emotions had been twisted beyond recognition...this beast was still her.

"Emerald?" said Pearl, slowly reaching out her hand. Emerald made no effort to stop her. "Do...do you remember me?"

While she obviously didn't say anything, the monster didn't seem to react to this in any way. Pearl continued reaching out. Mere moments before her hand could be laid on Emerald's snout, the corrupted Gem suddenly threw her head back, roaring. Pearl stumbled back in shock.

As Emerald reared back, Pearl caught a glimpse of Pythoriax on her back, his claws sunken into her matted fur. Emerald swung around wildly, trying to shake him off, but to no avail. It wasn't until she rolled onto her back that she was able to get him off. With him now in range, Emerald lunged, catching him in her jaws and shaking wildly. However, this was not the end.

Emerald was suddenly interrupted when yellow lines of energy began to run down her body. Almost instantly, her body disappeared in a puff of smoke. Her gemstone landed on the floor, as did Pythoriax, Gem destabilizer in hand.

The Interloper general got to his feet, laughing. Sparks flew from the gashes Emerald's teeth had left. "I must admit, you almost got me there," he said. "But at the end of the day, everything is as it should be." He picked up her gem, examining his reflection in the green stone. "With the Koh'i'Noor once again dominant over the Gems. As it _always_ should be."

A small energy shot then impacted the side of Pythoriax's head. While the projectile wasn't powerful enough to damage him, he was in no mood for games. "What now!?" he said, his head whipping to the side.

Pearl stood a short distance away, aiming her blaster at him. While her apprehension was obvious, she nonetheless stood stalwart. "You'd better put her down!" she said.

"Oh, how adorable!" said Pythoriax. He nonchalantly tossed the gemstone over his shoulder and began walking towards Pearl. "The little one still thinks she can save the day!" As he approached, Pearl fired more and more shots at him, but they did little to hinder his movement. He reached her soon enough, lifting her into the air by the neck-she dropped her blaster.

Pythoriax held out the Gem destabilizer, taking apparent joy in using it to taunt the Pearl. "It seems that owner of yours has rubbed off on you! When will you Gems learn? You are tools, made to be owned, meant to be commanded! And you...you're not even a useful tool! You have no purpose, save for being somebody's pretty pet! You really think you can defeat me all on your lonesome?"

Pearl strained to speak through the Interloper's tight grip. "Probably not…" she admitted. "But I can sure as void try!"

Pearl snatched the Gem destabilizer right out of Pythoriax's hand. Before he had time to register what had happened, she thrust it towards his face, driving the tines directly into his optics.

"AAAAARRRGH! YOU BITCH! I CAN'T SEE! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Pythoriax threw Pearl to the side, reaching up to pry the destabilizer from his eyes. She scrambled away, going over to her blaster. Upon grabbing it, she rolled onto her back to face him.

Though blinded, Pythoriax still stomped in the general attention of Pearl. "You can't hide from me!" he yelled. Before he got too close, Pearl opened fire; a few of the shots collided with his already damaged head. This resulted in his cranium erupting in a fiery explosion that sent shrapnel flying, causing Pearl to shield herself. With that, the Interloper general fell to the ground, with an unceremonious thud.

Shaking with fear and excitement, Pearl got up. She glanced at Pythoriax's inert body, before walking over to Emerald's gem, which she picked up.

"It's over now, My Emerald," she whispered. "We beat him."

However, it wasn't over yet. A sudden noise behind her caused Pearl to whirl around-Pythoriax stood up, his headless form slowly limping towards her.

"You think you've won!?" he said, his voice barely discernible through the static. "I brought Homeworld to the brink, and I'm only a general! What makes you think you stand a chance against the Primax?" He began walking towards Pearl. "He'll kill you all! He's going to eat you alive and scre-"

With a powerful boom, Pythoriax was suddenly crushed underneath Onyx's hammer. The weapon lifted up to reveal a scattering of broken metal and Gem shards. "I've been wanting to do that for a while now!" she said.

"Pearl! Are you alright?" Tenrit hurried in behind Onyx, holding Nines' gem in his hands. "What happened down here?"

"I'm alright," she said. "Emerald's suit thingy got destroyed, but she's fine, too. But we should probably get her back home before she regenerates. But what about you? Did you win?"

"Void yeah we did!" said Onyx. "After Tanzanite blew up their foundry, everyone lit up that Apex! And then we came down here and, well, you saw that for yourself.

"So we won, then," said Pearl. She looked down at the glittering green gem in her hand. "Then everything's okay."


	24. Epilogue

Chapter Twenty-Four: Epilogue

* * *

_Homeworld, Aquarius Sector. Emerald's residence._

"I'm telling you, if we had a Lazuli or two, we could've been out and done with it before anything went down!" said Nines. She was seated on a couch, talking to a holoscreen.

"Eh, you work with what you've got, I suppose," said Amethyst on the other end. "It's just good to hear that everything turned out fine in the end. I'm glad you're all okay."

"Yeah. There were some moments when I really wasn't sure. I told you that general destabilized me at one point, right?"

"I think you neglected to mention that," said Amethyst. "How did you survive? I would have thought he'd've shattered you."

"I'm sure he wanted to," Nines said. "Lucky for me, Tenrit here get me outta there before he could make good on that." She turned away, leaning out from the screen. "Hey, Tenrit, get in here!"

"Coming, coming!" he said, hurrying in to view. "So, is this your CO?" He waved at Amethyst. "Hello there! Nice to meet you. The name's Tenrit, I'm something of a Gem aficionado, always have been. I gotta say, I'm really excited to be living here on Homeworld now!"

Amethyst was confused. "Er, is this the organic that Emerald mentioned? The one from Corvus?"

"Yup, that's him," said Nines. "I wasn't sure about him at first, but he's a pretty cool dude. Really knows his stuff!"

"You're pretty cool yourself!" Tenrit added.

"Oh, stop!" said Nines. "But anyway, enough about us. How are things going back on Auragh-18?"

"Actually, surprisingly well," Amethyst said. "Now that we've pushed out the Interlopers' forces, the colonization process is going really smooth. We got some bio-poison to clear out those vines-and not that bio-venom stuff! At this rate, we should have plenty of Gems to join the fight against these metal-heads."

"Now that's what I like to hear!" said Nines. "...Actually, though, on that note, there's something I wanted to mention. So, with this Pythoriax guy done for, and colonization underway, you all seem to have everything under control down there. So, I was wondering...do you think it would be at all possible if I could be transferred to Emerald's command? It's not that I didn't like it on Auragh, but I've made a lot of friends here, I don't want to abandon them at a time like this. I wouldn't be asking for this if you were any other Gem. So, whaddya say? Quartz to Quartz?"

Amethyst had been listening calmly throughout. Once Nines finished, she chuckled. "Dude, I filled out that paperwork the moment you left to Moridius! With how you always went on and on about her, I figured you'd ask to stay. Consider her Your Emerald!"

Nines positively beamed. "Thanks, Amethyst. That really means a lot to me."

"Ah, don't mention it," she said. "Seriously, don't. Now that the crisis is over, I'll probably be out of command soon enough. We'll sweep this under the rug for now."

"Appreciate it!" said Nines. "But don't hesitate to contact me if you need me back there! I'd be happy to help again! Citrine out." Nines deactivated the call, and the holoscreen shrank into nothing.

"Well, guess you're staying, then!" said Tenrit.

"Guess I am!" Nines said. "Better get used to it!"

Unnoticed by them, Pearl walked by, listening to their camaraderie. She walked further throughout the house, coming across Morganite and Goshenite in the next room. They were speaking to another on a holoscreen as well.

"And you're sure there's nothing you can do?" Morganite said to the Gem on the other side.

"I'm afraid not," said the Gem, who was Heliodor. "That exo-shell was one of a kind. It took centuries just to get approval from the Diamonds just to do the necessary research, and even more than that to have it built. With resources stretched thin as they are, there's no way I'd be able to get another made. She may be our friend, but there's other Emeralds."

"Unfortunately, she's right," said Goshenite. "Like it or not, the Diamonds would never approve."

"Such a shame, what happened to her," said Morganite. "Old Emerald really did what was best for Homeworld, even to the end."

"Oh, it's not the end yet," said Heliodor. "Now, my research is a long way away, obviously, but I've made great strides in learning more about her condition. I'll find some way to reverse it, no matter how long it takes."

"Until then, I suppose I'll be taking command of Emerald's forces again," said Goshenite. "Unless the current Supreme Admiral wants to?"

"Oh, her," Morganite said dismissively. "Apparently, she's been occupied with a couple of ne'er-do-wells that stole her favorite ship. I don't want to _say_ she's been neglecting her duties...so I won't. You'll do a fine job, dahling."

"I'm certain I will," said Goshenite. "I've done it before. Hopefully, we can make more of a difference this time."

As this conversation continued on, Pearl continued as well, walking through the house. She made her way past several others, until she found herself at the entrance to the basement.

The door slid open. Pearl made her way down into the darkness. "My Emerald! It's me," she announced. She reached the bottom of the stairway, and turned on the lights.

The room lit up, revealing a glass wall parting it in half. On the other side of this barrier was Emerald, still in her monstrous transformation. She was resting, but her head lifted up when Pearl entered. On the ceiling on Pearl's side rested three bubbles, each containing a gem-Topaz, Amber, and Onix.

"Good morning," said Pearl. "Sorry, did I wake you?" The beastly Emerald approached the glass, watching Pearl intently with her many eyes. "I just wanted to let you know that everyone's fine out here. Sorry you can't come upstairs. Goshenite wanted to keep you in a bubble, and I wanted you to run free-so we compromised. This way, you can still see us without scaring any Gems outside."

Pearl sighed, sitting down with her back against the glass. "I don't even know if you understand me," she said. "Heliodor said she's trying to find a cure, but she has no idea how long it'll take. I hope it's soon, but...I wouldn't hold your breath." Emerald lie down as well, her side against the glass, right next to Pearl.

"Thought I'd find you down here!" came the voice of Onyx. The black Gem descended the staircase. Tanzanite was close behind her. "Talkin' to Mera again?"

Pearl nodded. "I didn't want her to get lonely."

"Us neither," said Tanzanite. "It looks like we will be placed under Goshenite's command once more."

"Y'know, she really isn't too bad," said Onyx. "That Topaz she's always with, though-yeesh!"

"So, what do we do now?" said Pearl.

"Whatever we are commanded, I suppose," said Tanzanite.

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do," said Onyx. "We'll take this fight right to the Interlopers' doorstep! Go on the offensive, really show 'em who's boss!"

"I just can't stop thinking about something Pythoriax said," Pearl said. "He mentioned someone called a 'Primax.' Who do you think that is?"

"Void if I know," said Onyx. "All I know is if they mess with us, we'll blow 'em to scrap, same as all the others!"

"Yes," said Tanzanite. "We will continue to fight, for as long as we can. It is what Emerald would have wanted."

"It is," said Pearl. "But I was thinking...we should fight for Homeworld because it's our home. Because it's what _we_ want. _That's_ what Emerald really would have wanted."

_The Oculus, unknown location._

* * *

The Oculus. The Interlopers' base of operations. Their center of intelligence. Their greatest weapon. This was where everything about them originated.

Deep within the planet-sized station, factories the size of countries pumped out millions of soldiers, weapons, ships. Their entire fleet, their entire army, everything-all originated here.

Deeper still, within the Oculus' very center, was a single, dark chamber. And within this chamber, something was being made. Mechanical arms welded and molded metal fragments together into a single unified shape.

A deep voice sounded out: "And so, the last of my generals has fallen. Pythoriax. I would say I expected more...but that would be a lie."

The shape began to take the form of a robotic body. Far more advanced than the rank and file Interloper troops, much of this being seemed to defy gravity, floating in place.

"Everyone I've sent out has proven too incompetent to handle the simple matter of crushing those rebellious machines."

Six devices hovered just behind this being's back, giving the appearance of wings, or perhaps a twisted halo. His head was finally completed: the entire thing seemed to be an eye, the same harsh red color of the Oculus itself. Glowing red lines ran across his deep grey form.

"If none of you can be trusted to follow simple orders...then I have no choice but to see to this matter myself."


End file.
